The Energy Thread

[Uncle Ted]

Yeah, I think we all suspected this was going to happen... someone dying because PG&E shut off the power:

California man, 67, who relied on oxygen pump dies 12 minutes after PG&E cut down power to his home to prevent wildfires

• The fire department received a call from Pollock Pines, California, around 3.30am on WednesdayCrews arrived at the scene and found 67-year-old Robert Mardis Sr. unresponsive
• It was determined that he was dependent on oxygen and died just 12 minutes after Pacific Gas and Electric shut down power
• Although the cause of death has not formally been confirmed by officials, Mardis Sr.'s daughter believes the power shut down played a role
• PG&E spokesman Jeff Smith said it has not been able to confirm the accuracy of the report
• The power outage was part of a safety plan to prevent wildfires in the area
• Two people have died from the wildfires: a man in his late 50s from cardiac arrest and Lois Arvickson, 89, after a fire swept through her mobile home park

[...]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...cut-power.html

The dude dies after the power was out for only 12 minutes? Holy crap... the guy should of had an UPS and generator.

[bluegoose]

So...who in California is possibly having their power shut off for the next 3 days? You know...so that PG&E can help us keep forest fires down. (See limiting liability in the dictionary....)

What a bunch of MFers.

We are being told that we may be sent home at noon from work when they cut power. To be able to go home and sit in a home....with no power.

We had a huge outage in our county, but it didn't affect my house or my office, as both are within city limits. Probably half of the county was out for 2 days. Much of the area came back on last night or this morning, but some areas are being told it could be 4 or 5 more days.

[Uncle Ted]

I just read up a bit in this issue. Pretty interesting especially having spent time both auditing and working at electric utilities. Californians deserve what they are getting in terms of blackouts. Just like the sideline, Mother Nature is undefeated.

It is climate change that is causing all these problems. Before climate change the wind never blew in California and the weather was always completely prefect.

In Texas, especially west Texas, the wind blows all the time and so we put up wind turbines. Hey, maybe California can turn this new negative into a positive too.

[Moliere]

I just read up a bit in this issue. Pretty interesting especially having spent time both auditing and working at electric utilities. Californians deserve what they are getting in terms of blackouts. Just like the sideline, Mother Nature is undefeated.

[BigPiney]

No problem here or at the office, although I use the blackout issue to good advantage when I don't feel like responding quickly to client demands.

[PaloAltoCougar]

Hey, has anyone heard from PAC and Creek? Just wondering how the beta test is going...
...

No problem here or at the office, although I use the blackout issue to good advantage when I don't feel like responding quickly to client demands.

[Uncle Ted]

Hey, has anyone heard from PAC and Creek? Just wondering how the beta test is going...

jkxfdjc8hsr31.jpg

The utility has said that it could take one to five days to restore power to its customers. Customers were frustrated as they tried to find information on the blackouts because the utility’s website wasn’t working. By Thursday, PG&E had a new, functioning site.

High winds of the sort that some areas of California experienced Thursday and other areas were threatened with can down power lines that, if active, can spark wildfires.

The second phase of the blackout began late Wednesday as PG&E cut power to an additional 234,000 customers, including those in Bay Area cities like San Jose, Oakland and Berkeley. The utility had already cut power to about 513,000 customers across Northern California.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/califor...ty-11570718584

[Jeff Lebowski]

FWIIW... maybe she could provide some useful advice:

Embedded Tweet

You are in our thoughts and prayers.

I don't get it.

EDIT: Never mind. I got it.

[Uncle Ted]

PG&E has pushed the start back to 8 PM. We appear to be just outside of an affected area, but at least a portion of our ward will be plunged into darkness this evening. I don't understand the timing or purpose of these blackouts. I get the impression this is both a CYA move and a cynical attempt to show the public how any attempt to reduce the inherent risks of running power lines through fire-prone areas will be unduly burdensome on everyone.

We just got word we would not be affected, but that we might be in the future. PG&E promised to give us 48 hours notice before they do it. How thoughtful. I think you're exactly right about the CYA move.

FWIIW... maybe she could provide some useful advice:

Embedded Tweet

You are in our thoughts and prayers.

[creekster]

PG&E has pushed the start back to 8 PM. We appear to be just outside of an affected area, but at least a portion of our ward will be plunged into darkness this evening. I don't understand the timing or purpose of these blackouts. I get the impression this is both a CYA move and a cynical attempt to show the public how any attempt to reduce the inherent risks of running power lines through fire-prone areas will be unduly burdensome on everyone.

We just got word we would not be affected, but that we might be in the future. PG&E promised to give us 48 hours notice before they do it. How thoughtful. I think you're exactly right about the CYA move.

[PaloAltoCougar]

It may affect us. This is the biggest mess I have ever seen from them. The PG&E website with outage maps is only working sporadically because they apparently didn't think very many people would try to look at the maps. And the weather here, at least, is not hot or windy. Our building just warned us that we might be without power as of noon.

Great.

PG&E has pushed the start back to 8 PM. We appear to be just outside of an affected area, but at least a portion of our ward will be plunged into darkness this evening. I don't understand the timing or purpose of these blackouts. I get the impression this is both a CYA move and a cynical attempt to show the public how any attempt to reduce the inherent risks of running power lines through fire-prone areas will be unduly burdensome on everyone.

[creekster]

I was in San Diego a few months ago and it didn't seem too bad. It's no Boise, but it was passable.

It is still a beautiful place. But the infrastructure is deteriorating (roads and bridges in particular), the homeless problem is becoming chronic and no one has the political will to deal with it, taxes are rising, the cost of living is pretty outrageous, and I find the politics hard to swallow. That all said, I am typing this while sitting outside by the pool on a gorgeous sunny day (PG&E's weather report was far off for our area) with some citrus trees, plum trees, maples and palm trees around me (it looks better than it sounds). Our leaves won't fall for another few weeks. And our winter will be short and bleed into spring in the matter of a month or so. It's not bad. Not bad at all.

[Lost Student]

I actually meant to get a generator but never got around to it. I will wait for prices to come down a little now and then will get one. But, yes, it is becoming more and more like a third world country all the time. I think living here I have become a bit inoculated to the decay, but a good friend from Switzerland visited me here this summer and could not believe how bad things had gotten since he was last here 10-15 years ago.

I was in San Diego a few months ago and it didn't seem too bad. It's no Boise, but it was passable.

[creekster]

California is starting to sound like a 3rd world country. You should get a big, fat generator and take advantage of those low gas prices.

Didn't PG&E file for chapter 11 just less than a year ago to get some protection from the liabilities linked to the last batch of wildfires? I guess I don't blame them for not wanting to start more.

I actually meant to get a generator but never got around to it. I will wait for prices to come down a little now and then will get one. But, yes, it is becoming more and more like a third world country all the time. I think living here I have become a bit inoculated to the decay, but a good friend from Switzerland visited me here this summer and could not believe how bad things had gotten since he was last here 10-15 years ago.

[Katy Lied]

yes. I feel sorry for them- hugely aging infrastructure, caught between a rock and a hard place regarding nuclear, a super active, never-satisfied regulator body. They play the bankruptcy card often, and win because there is no other option. Even if the City takes over, there is still only one option.