Dive Brief:
- Utilities in Southern California have asked customers to reduce their energy usage during peak hours as the region struggles to deal with a persistent heat wave that is supposed to continue through midweek.
- Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) said customers on September 15 set an all-time record for peak energy demand, with peaks almost double a typical day's usage.
- San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) activated day-of and day-ahead demand response and capacity bidding programs, and asked all customers to implement energy saving tips in their homes.
Dive Insight:
A mass of warm air that has been engulfing southern California is expected to stick around until midweek, with temperatures cooling on Thursday. But the region's utilities have already seen their systems taxed. LADWP said its customers set an all-time record for peak demand at 6,196 megawatts, surpassing the previous record of 6,177 megawatts set in September 2010. The utility was also forecasting it would immediately break the newly-minted record, with demand anticipated to exceed 6,200 megawatts the following day.
“Under these extreme conditions, our system is holding up quite well, but we urge our customers to continue to conserve to reduce strain on the grid," said LADWP general manager Marcie Edwards. “Days like today are an important reminder that we must continue to plan for and invest in our infrastructure."
SDG&E began tweeting to customers in their demand response programs around 10:30 a.m. PT that they should reduce usage on Sept. 16. Days earlier, the utility had asked them to be prepared.
Today is a #ReduceYourUse Rewards day from 11am-6pm. Unplug, turn up, turn off what you can - every little bit helps! http://t.co/n3ys9neCDi
— SDG&E (@SDGE) September 15, 2014
“During this heat wave, we are prepared to keep our system running safely and smoothly under any circumstances that may arise," said Caroline Winn, SDG&E’s vice president of customer services.
