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The surprising reason California survived record summer heat without blackouts
Los Angeles Times • • business
Key Points:
- California experienced its hottest August on record without rolling power outages or Flex Alerts, a significant improvement from past heat waves.
- The state's electrical grid resilience has been greatly enhanced by expanding battery energy storage from under 100 megawatts in 2020 to over 17,000 megawatts today.
- California aims to add 20,000 to 25,000 megawatts of battery storage by 2045, aligning with its carbon neutrality goal and increased reliance on renewable energy sources.
- The grid's integration with other Western U.S. systems and growth in solar power, including rooftop installations, have contributed to meeting peak energy demands during extreme heat events.
- Despite improvements, local utilities still use public safety power shutoffs to prevent wildfires, and unforeseen events like wildfires or equipment failures could necessitate limited rolling outages or Flex Alerts.
