Amid a record-breaking heatwave, California officials are urging producers to conserve electricity

The sense of urgency was clear as the California capital recently recorded its hottest day on record, with the hottest recorded temperatures in some areas in nearly a century.

On August 31, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a declaration of emergency, urging businesses of all types to conserve as much energy as possible. On September 6, he ramped things up. “This heatwave is expected to be the hottest and longest on record in California in September,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in an announcement. “We are now heading for the worst part – the risk of failures is real. Your efforts have paid off so far, but we need everyone to conserve energy after 4pm.”

The California Department of Cannabis Control also issued and tweeted a Flex Alert urging growers to do their part, which was shared by Emerald Triangles Redheaded Blackbelt on September 6th.

“Due to the extreme heat wave, an emergency declaration has been signed by the governor,” the press release said. “With immediate effect, we are asking all cannabis licensees to voluntarily consider reducing their energy burden by: turning off lights or all major electrical sources; and start using a backup generator when safe and available.”

We are in the hottest part of the heatwave that will break demand records. We need help to save energy. Effective immediately, all cannabis licensees are asked to:
✅ Turn off lights or all major power sources
✅ Start using a backup generatorhttps://t.co/OXMEorszky pic.twitter.com/F78E2T8WAd

— CA Department of Cannabis Control (@CAcannabistept) September 6, 2022

The Department of Cannabis Control also urged growers to use less energy between the hours of 2 p.m. and 9 p.m., saying growers could rearrange housework in some cases.

Let’s keep the lights on! Industry partners, including cannabis licensees, can help us avoid outages by using less energy from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Tips:
✅ Set thermostats to 78
✅ Save energy-intensive tasks for later
✅ Unplug unused devices
Learn more: https://t.co/OXMEorszky pic.twitter.com/6KrYmFtfdr

— CA Department of Cannabis Control (@CAcannabistept) September 6, 2022

At 5:18 p.m. on Tuesday, September 6, temperatures in the Sacramento state capital hit 116 degrees Fahrenheit — an “all-time record.” (That’s 46.6 degrees Celsius.) Almost 100 years ago, the previous record was set at 114 degrees Fahrenheit (45.5 degrees Celsius) on July 17, 1925, according to the National Weather Service.

Within minutes, the state’s grid operator announced that it had issued Level 3 energy emergency alerts, with impending power outages being “very possible,” grid operator California ISO (CAISO) tweeted. The grid operator hinted that people need to get creative when it comes to saving energy and that the time is now.

#ISO declares an Energy Emergency Alert 3 with rotating #power outages to be very likely. Please reduce your energy consumption.

— California ISO (@California_ISO) September 7, 2022

A level 3 emergency alert is just one step ahead of ordering power outages all around. CAISO warned residents that peak power demand reached 52,061 megawatts last Tuesday, surpassing the previous high of 50,270 megawatts set on July 24, 2006.

USA Today reports that more than half a million customers in California have been notified in advance to prepare for possible Tuesday afternoon power outages, Pacific Gas & Electric tweeted.

Elliot Mainzer, CEO of the California independent system operator, told USA Today that the threat of blackouts is real, but that residents can do something to avoid them. “In the last few days, we have seen a positive impact on demand reduction due to everyone’s help,” Mainzer said. “But now we need a reduction in energy consumption that is two or three times greater than what we have seen so far.”

As it turned out, the widespread power outages expected Tuesday did not materialize, or the power outages remained limited to certain areas.

Mercury News reports that state officials actually lifted the Level 3 emergency alert at 8 p.m., saying that “conservation has played a large role in protecting the reliability of the power grid.”

Residents of all stripes are encouraged to pre-cool their homes in the early hours of the morning and crank up their thermostats to 24 degrees Celsius in the afternoon. Residents are also urged to avoid larger devices after 4pm.

Residents can also visit FlexAlert.org for more energy-saving tips.

The heat wave and vicious heat dome blanketing the western states of the US is not limited to California or the US.

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