Man, if only California used reliable energy
When Silicon Valley Goes Dark This Time, There Will Be No Refuge
Blackouts that hit millions of Californians in 2019 could be doubly calamitous this year with tech giants Google, Twitter Inc. and Facebook Inc. among the many companies keeping offices closed until the fall or later in response to the global Covid-19 pandemic.
If utilities cut power again, home offices set up during the pandemic could go dark and stay dark for days, and they’ll have no corporate offices to flee to for power. In October 2019, more than 3 million people were affected by a series of rolling blackouts over more than a week as PG&E Corp. and Edison International tried to prevent live wires from sparking wildfires.
Call it a collision of crises. Blackouts could limit California’s push to revive an economy largely paralyzed by stay-at-home orders this spring. The state, utilities and individual companies are all seeking ways to deal with blackouts before a wildfire season forecast to be worse than normal. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., for one, has “long contemplated this type of scenario,†according to spokesman Adam Bauer.
Neither Google, Twitter nor Facebook would comment on their plans. The state’s utilities and government officials, though, have said they’re working to minimize the threat.
California regulators last month adopted new shutoff rules that will require the companies to restore electricity within 24 hours after the weather clears, although the state’s wind storms can last several days. PG&E, the state’s largest utility, has set its own goal of 12 daylight hours after the winds ease, and has nearly doubled the number of helicopters it will use to look for downed lines.
California is a state known for periods of very high winds due to where the state is located. It has always happened. So, instead of spending money fortifying the lines, burying them, and other measures, the state has wasted enormous amounts of money on barely viable “renewables”. Excluding hydrothermal, because they want existing dams torn down. California, and those Silicon Valley companies, should be more concerned with stable energy and power delivery than fairy tale anthropogenic climate change.
And, get this: since California is banning natural gas more and more, backup generators have to run on regular gasoline. With the push for battery cars, how do they charge them with no power? All those solar panels hooked into the grid won’t be providing power back to the homeowner when the power is out. Well, heck, these people voted for this insanity.
Our esteemed host wrote:
Are you certain? Are you sure that the winds have not gotten worse since, say, November 9, 2016, or perhaps January 20, 2017?
Our most gracious host wrote:
If you get yourself suckered into a solar system that sells back energy to the grid, but does not have a shutoff system and battery storage for your own use, then you have been paid back for your stupidity.
Our humble host wrote:
You’d have to have one Hell of a solar system yourself to recharge a Tesla!
That said, I cannot imagine how any responsible builder these days would not include wiring for a car charger in the garage. The costs of having the wiring in place should be more than offset by the increased value to the home.
It’s had to predict just how much all those closed offices will save the grid in power consumption. They may as a matter of policy continue to have lights and air conditioning throughout the summer just to prevent mold and for the use of those 10% of employees who still go into the office. Theoretically, working from home policy will increase total grid demands, a lot.
And the award for best Actress goes to: Leslie Jones for Ghostbusters 2
When the black-outs get too problematic, the ones who whored for their money will move away, the untold ilnlegalimmigrants will not know the difference