Government Gas & Electric, Continued

Our home's central air-conditioning has not worked for at least 20 years, and I've been too cheap frugal to replace it. Besides, I'm being environmentally virtuous by suffering through the heat--currently 97°F--and not drawing fossil-fuel-originated electricity from the grid. (Yes, I plan to flaunt my green virtue to neighbors by installing solar panels with battery backup when the technology improves a bit.)

The planned rolling blackouts have begun: [bold added]

Current PG&E outage map at 6:15 p.m. today. Color code
for #customers affected: Green,1-49; Yellow, 50-499
Orange, 500-4,999, Red 5,000+

The rotating outages were ordered because of the increased electricity demand from customers running air conditioners and other devices. Demand outpaced available supply...

Today, California faces very different circumstances after spending much of the past two decades greening its power supply with large-scale wind and solar farms. The state has almost eliminated coal-fired generation and has been reducing its reliance on natural gas in favor of renewables, particularly solar power.

That poses a supply challenge when electricity demand jumps. Solar-energy production begins to decline in the early evening hours, when power usage peaks, reducing the capacity available during a supply crunch.

The California grid operator has complex, comprehensive plans in place to address such challenges. When demand surges, California relies more heavily on power imported from neighboring states, and natural-gas-fired power plants capable of firing up quickly are kept on standby. But during Friday’s blackouts, some of that power didn’t materialize as expected.

“The capacity that was supposed to be available just didn’t show up,” said Michael Wara, head of the climate and energy policy program at Stanford University’s Woods Institute. He said more information is necessary to determine exactly why the blackouts were necessary.

Last year we marveled at the demands placed on PG&E.

Deliver electricity and natural gas reliably to 16 million Californians;

Charge customers as low a rate as possible;

Earn a profit for investors, including a regular dividend;

Clear trees and brush to reduce the risk of wildfires;

Provide generous salary, medical and pension benefits in accordance with union contracts;

Repair and replace its aging infrastructure with less efficient and more costly carbon-minimizing energy sources (principally windmills and solar, but not nuclear);

Decommission Diablo Canyon, its last nuclear power plant, for an estimated $4.8 billion beginning in 2024;

Meet Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards;

Pay $billions in damages for its culpability in the 2017-2019 wildfires.

Transfer hundreds of thousands of acres to tribes and public agencies per agreements dating back to 2001.

The cries for a government takeover of the utility have intensified. Your humble blogger approves.

Rather than continue the everlasting arguments about socialism vs, capitalism, socialists can prove the superiority of their system by running PG&E cheaper (it won't have to pay dividends) and more reliably.

With all the money saved I might even loosen the pursestrings for central air.