Will California’s power grid be able to handle this heat wave?

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — All eyes are on California’s power grid to see how it will handle the first heat wave of the summer.

California Independent Systems Operator, otherwise knowns as CAISO, manages the energy flowing through the state and has not yet issued a Flex Alert. On Wednesday, they forecasted enough supply to keep up with the demand on the Fourth of July, but that can change.

“We don’t plan or have any plans to proactively shut down power to protect the safety of our customers, but as always with increased heat, there’s always a possibility of unplanned outages,” said Humberto Gurmilan, a communications manager with San Diego Gas & Electric.

CAISO has issued a restrictive maintenance operation alert for the state, restricting equipment from going offline for maintenance because every supply is needed through this heat wave.

CAISO also issued a transmission emergency for areas in Northern California because of wildfire activity.

“We are interconnected to other states, and to the rest of the state of California, that there is always a possibility that the issues up north could impact us,” Gurmilan continued.

Even a small change can play a part on the power grid.

“Make sure that you are not using big appliances during peak hours, which are between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. during the day. I always try to cool our home before those hours and then just set the thermostat to to 78 (degrees) if you have it and if its safe to do so; that’s going to help conserve a lot of energy,” Gurmilan added.

To view the current supply and demand from CAISO visit Today’s Outlook .

Sign up for Flex Alert notifications h ere .

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