The power went out during a California heat wave in 2020. Two years later, only a last-minute intervention by state officials prevented rolling blackouts. But last week, as temperatures soared past 100 degrees, the state didn’t have to hit the emergency button.
The state’s fortunes shifted due to a massive battery boom.
“The bulk power grid is currently stable and energy supply is sufficient to meet demand,” Anne Gonzales, a spokesperson for the California Independent System Operator, said Monday.
California has long relied on a mix of renewables and natural gas to keep the power flowing and air conditioners humming. On a typical day, solar generation surges in the daytime and natural gas picks up the slack after sunset.
The state ran into challenges during previous heat waves because it did not have enough power to meet demand. It was especially acute in the evening, when temperatures were hot, power demand was high and solar facilities had stopped producing.
In August 2020, the state grid operator was forced to implement rolling blackouts amid a searing heat wave. Two years later, it issued a so-called Flex Alert, instructing consumers to reduce their power use. Demand fell by 3,000 megawatts, enough to power as many as 3 million homes, after the governor’s office sent a text to consumers.
Those difficulties quickly became political fodder for opponents of California’s climate policies. Republicans railed against California’s clean energy plans during the 2020 presidential election.
“In California, Democrats have intentionally implemented rolling blackouts — forcing Americans in the dark,” Donald Trump, then president, tweeted in 2020. “Democrats are unable to keep up with energy demand.”
Trump is once again the Republican nominee for president after losing his reelection bid to President Joe Biden that year.
California’s power grid has improved considerably since then. The state grid operator issued 10 Flex Alerts in 2020, eight in 2021 and 11 in 2022. But it has not issued one since 2022, as extreme heat worldwide reached levels never before recorded by humans.
Analysts said California’s improved performance owes to several factors. The California Independent System Operator has improved coordination with neighboring grid operators to manage the flow of electricity across state lines. Last week, demand was also lower than in 2022, peaking at almost 48 gigawatts Thursday, according to Gridstatus.io, a website that monitors real-time grid data. That was less than the 51 GW reported in September 2022 but more than the 47 GW peak reported in 2020, according to Gridstatus.