California’s grid operator said the Golden State will have a slight surplus of electricity supplies this summer during the hottest days, reducing the chance of blackouts.
(Bloomberg) — California’s grid operator said the Golden State will have a slight surplus of electricity supplies this summer during the hottest days, reducing the chance of blackouts.
A combination of an additional 4,300 megawatts of battery energy storage and 1,300 more megawatts of hydroelectric production compared to last year will help the state meet demand when residents crank up their air conditioners, according to a 2023 summer assessment report released Tuesday by the California Independent System Operator. One megawatt is enough to power 750 California homes.
California has struggled to keep the lights on during extreme weather the past few years as it seeks to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. The state aggressively closed natural gas power plants, leaving it increasingly dependent on solar farms that go dark just as electricity demand peaks during hot summer evenings. The state has ordered utilities to install more batteries that can plug the supply gap.
Still, the California grid report warned extreme weather events such as wildfires and prolonged heat waves “continue to pose a high risk of outages.”
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