California PSPS Blackouts

Generators selling like hotcakes down there  ????

^Might cause a wildfire?

Wishing you and yours all the best Woz.

up here on NorCal's Lost Coast, some of us are calling PG&E's PSPS blackouts, "piss-piss"

but, this time it looks like those forecasts of extreme winds are the real deal

https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2019/10/very-serious-wind-situation-in-no...

in Humboldt, our power is supposed to be shut off at 7:00 pm Pacific time, about a half-hour from now... it'll be off until at least Monday afternoon, maybe longer

got the generator ready to go, 10 gallons of gas, flashlights, extra batteries, etc., etc.

just received a text alert that the blackout in Humboldt County is delayed for at least couple hours due to changing weather patterns... now, lights-out will supposedly happen between 9 and 11 pm

Here on the Marin coast, they shut it down at 8:25. They had said it would go off at 4.

I was at the only local place, watching baseball, almost full resturaunt. Generator kicked right on,

everything but the ball game, which was almost over anyway.

We had a fire just south of town Thursday, which was scary.

Planes, helicopters, tons of CalFire engines....thankfully they knocked it down fast.

Stay safe folks.

Still on on Humboldt Hill.  Power is out in other parts of Humboldt though.

Two of my sisters have no power, one in Grass Valley and one in Fairfax (in Marin). The third, in Berkeley, is three blocks outside the blackout area. 

 Be safe everyone.

Anyone been in contact with dise?

As a former Californian, sending good vibes to all affected by this terrible situation.

What's the Governor doing about the negligent, reckless and criminal PG&E?

Damn.  Be careful and don't throw any lit cigarettes out the window.

Other than just shutting off the power when there is a big risk of fire, can PG&E do anything else to minimize the risk like burying the lines?

Went out for beer and mint for albondigas soup. Whole Foods was closed. 

Glad Kwik Stop was open.

Ken, I may be wrong but I think at issue is the condition of PG&E's equipment through lack of maintenance and replacement, and keeping brush away from the lines. Maybe someone could correct me. I guess that as the climate changes it would be helpful to bury the lines and create a less risky infrastructure.

But if they're going to spend their money on bonus's and high pay for executives, they aren't going to improve the situation.

PG&E started it's existence in corruption. The tax payers paid for the Hetch Hetchy damn in the 30's and all the power from that was supposed to be go to municipal power companies like SMUD in Sacramento. But PG&E bought the politicians and started the for profit company that controls electric and gas in most of Nor Cal. They have been corrupt ever since, paying out huge bonuses to executive instead of doing maintenance on their infrastructure. 

Putting the lines underground is too expensive but there are all kinds of things they could be doing to minimize the risk like replacing wooden poles with metal ones and upgrading transformers. Of course spending money on those things means less bonuses for executives. 

The state needs to take them over and run them like SMUD in Sacramento that has no power shut downs during this wind event. 

>>>PG&E bought the politicians and started the for profit company that controls electric and gas in most of Nor Cal... paying out huge bonuses to executive instead of doing maintenance on their infrastructure<<<

Just good business, The American Way.

>>>The state needs to take them over<<<

Leftist/Socialist scum!!! The ruination of EVERYthing!!!!!

Sorry, just channeling my inner conservative.

You know who you are.

Carry on.

Yeah, privatization of public infrastructure  is rad...

best wishes to our nor cal and Sonoma families!

Great article I read earlier 

Super complicated and there are many factors involved with the cost of housing being a huge one

and no forest management

and a bazillion dead trees

And enormous cost (In the cost of burying power lines is completely insane and not doable 

break up the utilities- yes

But we all know how well government run shit 

like shit  So you can have forty utility companies or entities

it might take 20 years to get to Square, One

https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2019/10/22/20916820/californi...

Please humor us and explain how housing costs are causing wildfires.  This should be good.

and of course slacker shops at Whole Foods.  LMFAO

Humor??

well if you can't get there on you own, and need help....

There's not enough housing in California

it cost too much to live in suburbs ot urban areas

So people are moving further And further out

; changing housing and land-use policies that encourage

People move to further into the wild and fire prone areas

that are hard to maintain and to defend

yw

LMFAO, you still didn’t explain how housing costs are ‘causing’ wild fires.  Thanks for the laughs.

Our local distribution lines here are buried, but it would be too expensive, and perhaps impossible, technically speaking, to bury all the many miles of high-tension, high-voltage  transmission lines.

Civilized countries don’t distribute power when they feel like it.  

>>>break up the utilities- yes

>>>But we all know how well government run shit 

>>>like shit  So you can have forty utility companies or entities

Sorry but this is just utter fucking bullshit that people think because of a propaganda machine financed by the 1% who want their taxes lowered because $100M isn't enough to live on.

I live in Sacramento. We have a government run utility SMUD. We have had zero black outs and my electricity rates are way lower than if I lived a few miles away in a PG&E territory. Government runs all kinds of shit just fine like your local fire department and the CDC just to name a two, and private businesses runs many things like shit like Enron, Anthem Blue Shield, and United Airlines just to name a few. 

There are bad government run things and bad business run things. 

some of the same issues that privatized utilities have due to being motivated mostly by profit, public utilities have by being tied to their own public image, or the public image of elected officials.

we need to marry the conservative hate for bureaucracy and zeal for small government with the liberal notion that one of the main functions of government should be to help and provide services to its citizens.

“we need to marry the conservative hate for bureaucracy and zeal for small government with the liberal notion that one of the main functions of government should be to help and provide services to its citizens.”

man.

no shit? Almost sounds like you want America to establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, AND secure the blessings of liberty? 

Thats INSANE

Judit, I think your assumptions above are pretty spot on.  And no, burying the power lines is implausible.  And yes, PG&E blows and could possibly be better off run by CA.  I settled a PG&E civil dispute today at a good price and feeling even better about it because the judge that approved my restitution may change her mind once the new Sonoma claims start flowing in. 

I live in Slack’s neighborhood and the only part of Lafayette they didn’t shut power down had a spot fire yesterday afternoon due to downed wires.  Couple families lost their homes (and a renovated tennis club of course).  Spent the afternoon collecting personal items in case the thing spread (which fortunately it didn’t).  Lost power Sat evening. Probably won’t see power until Thursday this week.  And no WiFi (gasp!).

Splitting my time between Nor Cal and LA these days where my midweek pad in LA is under mandatory evacuation due to the Getty fire.   But looks like that fire is under control now as well.   Ahhh.... California living in 2019.   Thinking I should’ve kept that place in West Seattle.

Power just came back on at my house, but with tomorrow's red flag warning, I'm not going to bother transferring stuff from ice chests back into the fridge... just going to add some more ice and wait to see where we stand Thursday.

Glad everyone is staying safe, but what a thing for some of the wealthiest counties in America having to make like many places in the developing world and have limited electricity hours.   

Heard on the radio today that PG&E says it might take 10 years to get their infrastructure in order.   What are individual homeowners going to do in the meantime to ensure uninterrupted power supplies going forward?   Get generators?

power came back on here in Humboldt about 5:30 pm Pacific time, after being off for about 42 hours

another blackout coming early Tuesday morning... just enough time to charge up the freezers and such

http://kymkemp.com/2019/10/28/all-customers-in-humboldt-county-will-lose...

they're saying this next blackout could last until Thursday or Friday

FUCK  PG&E

Last time there was rolling blackouts, the governor was recalled.  One can hope.

Generators!  Going green!  

if the guy has a family and power is out multiple days or reoccurring, what's he supposed to do?

What’s a “PSPS blackout”, like it says in the title 

Damn,,,

People in California Stay Safe !

{{{Vibes}}}

>>>Last time there was rolling blackouts, the governor was recalled.  One can hope.

Yeah because the Governor who has been in power less than a year is responsible for 50 years of PG&E neglect and global warming. Meanwhile the brilliant Republicans who represent the rural area of California who are suffering the biggest impact have come up with their own solution. You see the problem is all the money PG&E is spending on switching to alternative energy sources is keeping them from up grading their infrastructure. So the answer as always is to burn more fossil fuels like that has nothing to do with the problem. Then PG&E will magically fix the problem by finding a way to send electricity over concrete power lines instead of giving their execs and share holders huge bonuses like they have over the last 50 years. 

Ahhh TY Woz 

maybe PSPO (outage) would be a more accurate term? 

Can’t charge my electric car!

Garyfish, I thought you hippy types liked getting back to nature? ;)

Does anyone else have a battery powered amp, a disc-man, and a collections of CDs (or a good old fashion ghetto box)?  comes in handy in times like these, but for me, a generator would be an extreme luxury... maybe when I'm too old to buy ice and load fridge stuff into ice chests.

The shutoffs are part of PG&E’s Public Safety Power Shutoff program.

PSPS

Our dear friends in Occidental were at Hangtown Fest when evacs began -- they returned home yesterday and stayed the night.. luckily their home is off-grid. However, they expect to be evacuated again in the next 24 hours, so they are packing their vehicles.

Some resources: 

This website shows real-time wind shifts.... https://www.windy.com/?45.589,-122.740,5

AirBnb is offering free emergency lodging to people affected by wildfires https://www.sfgate.com/california-wildfires/article/Airbnb-is-offering-e...?

New NPR story: PGE CEO says California can expect blackouts for a decade! 

https://www.npr.org/2019/10/18/771486828/california-can-expect-blackouts...?

wtf is this?? arkansas??

I survived the 1965 & 1977 NYC Blackouts...

https://www.sfgate.com/california-wildfires/article/kincade-fire-missing...

How much did the birth rate increase during those blackouts?

...

California  has committed to renewable energy by 2050, and they can’t even run power now.  

you're right, we should do nothing...

What they need to do is replace the lines in high risk areas with insulated wire.  They could start in the highest risk areas and over the yrs replace it all.  They say they have gone without fixing the problems so that stockholders(The rothschilds are a major stock owner) can get rich.  Running it by the state would eliminate that issue. But to take it over now would put the taxpayers on the hook for the necessary repairs.  Maybe levy huge fines that would be used to replace what needs replacing. I don't know, but the current system sucks big time. The state needs to step in and remind pge that they work for us(both the state and pge). 

I got my solar installed last week, and I will never pay pge more than 10.00 per month for the rest of my life. I bought a small generator that worked out very well for me. I did not have internet, but that is out of my control.  In a few yrs, I will buy a battery backup system and go off grid for good.  Tesla power walls are about 15,000.00 each and I would need 2 in order to run my AC. They will come down in price over the next few yrs.   I cannot wait to be able to tell pge to shove it.   I will get all setup, and their faulty lines will cause a fire and burn my house down.

Well that was a depressing end to your little story Mark.

Depressing times Tom.  I just spent 96 hrs without power from the utility I am forced to use because of their monopoly. Meanwhile, that same utility's faulty lines are burning down my state.

3 days of no power here in West Marin. 

I had forgotten when PG&E blew up 38 homes and killed eight people in San Bruno 9 years ago,

it was found in the lawsuit case against them that they had diverted $100 million that was supposed to 

be for safety improvements in order to give bonuses to executives and shareholders.

Real cool, PG&E.

Real cool.

PIGS, GRAFT & EVIL

SCE ain't much better....

utilities are a shit show in this state.

stay safe, and sane....up there y'all.

good news on the panels bud!

Many of you might already know this, but I gather from my reading that a lot of people don’t. The question is: why is PG&E suddenly cutting power during high winds in California? After all, California has always had high winds. It’s always had lots of wildfires. And utility lines have always been a leading cause of those fires. So what changed?

A small part of the answer is that climate change and other factors have made wildfires more common over the past decade. Another small part of the answer is that more people live in areas that are vulnerable to damage from wildfires.

But the biggest part of the answer is: Judge William Alsup. You see, PG&E has been under probation ever since it was convicted of negligence in a pipeline explosion that killed eight people in San Bruno a decade ago. Alsup is the judge overseeing the probation, and after the Camp Fire killed 86 people and destroyed the town of Paradise last year he got fed up. He’s been after PG&E for years to cut back trees and other vegetation near its power lines—as required by state law—and finally demanded that they stop making excuses and just do it. This coincided with PG&E declaring bankruptcy in expectation of billions of dollars worth of claims from victims of the fire, claims that were highly likely to succeed given that a federal judge was already on record accusing PG&E of years of negligence and disregard for public safety.

PG&E can’t immediately cut back all those trees, of course, so as a stopgap they decided to institute rolling blackouts during periods of high winds, even though they’ve never done that before. Other utilities then followed suit.

There’s much more to the story, but this is the nutshell version. It’s not so much that anything has changed on the ground—2018 was a record fire year, but 2019 is actually below average so far—or that California’s electrical infrastructure has suddenly collapsed. What’s changed is that a judge finally said enough is enough.

https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/

Tesla power walls are about 15,000.00 each and I would need 2 in order to run my AC. They will come down in price over the next few yrs.

mark, i live 100% off grid and can run an 8000btu window unit on a simple solar setup that my boss and i put together and installed ourselves for only a few grand. i cant recommend the Magnum MagaSine inverter enough. right now my charge controller is crap, but ive lived in a different off grid home that had a magnasine + a charge controller from midnite solar...that thing was great. if you are talking about running central AC for your whole home, ok, you might need some crazy setup, but for things like a window unit, even two smaller window units,my experience is i can live comfortably on a 3000-6000 watt inverter...although you could go much larger and still come in well under 30 grand. i dont have a washer/drier but my boss has a similar solar setup at his home and he runs a washer/drier. i can hold more than enough power in 8 L-16's, and id imagine that 16 or so would be plenty of power for a larger home + dishwasher after dinner to make it thru the night. in case you run out of power, a closed case honda generator with a 240v outlet if you live in an area with some space to make a bit of noise, or grid tied if you dont. if you dont want to be grid tied and cant use a generator, you could probably get a 240v plug coming from grid power, that can plug into an independent solar system just like if it were a generator, in case there are any pesky county regulations or troubles from pg&e associated with a grid tied system. 

not sure if a normal setup would work for you or if you have special needs or wants for a solar system, but if these tesla things are 15k each and you need two...thats alot of $$$. you could set up a system that gives you tons of power using standard equipment for less than half that.

What are you using for batteries?  What happens after the sun goes down? I was told that when you are grid tied, without batteries, that your power will go down. I already have a cadillac solar system sans  a battery system.

i have flooded lead acid batteries like you would use in a boat or something. bigger than a car battery, looks the same, but you have to top it off with distilled water...most modern car batteries dont need water anymore.

my current system has smaller, less expensive batteries but the ones ive had previously and liked a bit more are the L-16 size. i have 8 wired up together.

after the sun goes down im running totally on battery power. they keep the lights on, a PC/speakers/monitor, box fan in the summer, and the fridge going thru the night. if im using alot of power, like its a super hot night and i want to use the A/C, ill either put the generator on for an hour or so before using the A/C or i'll let the power cut out and turn the generator on to kick everything on again. my charge controller is set to cut power when the batteries reach 30% or so, so that they dont run all the way down. in the wintertime it makes it thru the night unless its really, really cloudy all day...then i wind up running the generator for an hour or two at some point. i have a plug thats hooked into the inverter and charge controller so i can plug the entire system into the generator and power my cabin/charge the batteries using the generator at night or when there is no sun.

grid tied and without batteries should mean that at night you switch over to grid power. not grid tied and without batteries, yeah you lose power at night...well before dark actually.

https://money.yahoo.com/rent-high-america-housing-133403276.html

Larry, how big is your generator and how much do the batteries and charge controller cost?

Meanwhile....

FUUUUUUCK the insurance co.'s!!

{{{Customer Experience Team}}}

Sucks for the homeowners, but insurance companies are in the business of making money and know when to cut their losses. 

Frontline had a  show on the "Campfire" that started on Nov. 8th of last year in which all of Paradise burned. That show was phenomenal. I had no idea how far the Cali fires could spread in such a short amount of time. There was strong emphasis on PG&E's severely aged high voltage transmission lines which are blamed for the cause of the Paradise disaster. The liability lawsuits on PG&E from the Campfire total $10.5 billion, so far.   Consequently, PG&E has filed for bankruptcy and claims that the current power outages are necessary and will be ongoing whenever "high risk" weather conditions are present and could cause more power line damage, more fires and more financial loss. 

This story is surreal. Best wishes to all.  So very sorry too for all of the poor folks who died in fires.

The DRC loves your batteries.  GOING GREEN!

my current charge controller is a chinese cheap-o from amazon...they have crazy cheap solar equipment. i couldnt find the specific one after going thru a bunch of pages, but looking at the selection on amazon id guess it was less than $100...of course you dont want to go with something that cheap for a family home in town, but there is some quality stuff on there, my boss has this one at his house - https://www.amazon.com/Outback-Flexmax-FM80-Charge-Controller/dp/B008MOI...

and the house i lived in with solar before this i had one of these charge controllers - http://www.midnitesolar.com/products.php?menuItem=products&productCat_ID...

i dont remember which model i had and dont know enough about solar yet to reccomend a specific one, but i really liked the one i had.

my current batteries are sealed in a box atm and just have the logo of a local solar company on them so i dont know the specifics, but they are flooded lead acid batteries that are an inch or two bigger on all sides than a large car battery. the nicer batteries to use tho are the L-16 size like this - https://webosolar.com/energy/product/trojan-l16p-420-ah-6-volt-flooded-l...

i had those at the previous house with the midnite charge controller.

do you know anything about the lifespan of the tesla device? flooded lead acid batteries need to be replaced around every 8 years.

Thanks for those links Larry!

Just spent a couple hours surf'n.

The Tesla powerwall2 comes with a 10 yr warranty.   Looks like equipment only cost on powerwall plus hardware is about 7800.00 each.  Times 2 plus installation = yowzer!  (But maybe not the 30 grand tesla solar  quoted me.)

I have a 7.36 KW solar system.   Looks like I might need 3-4000.00 in batteries and maybe a grand for the charge controller.  Much cheaper, but still beyond me for awhile. More important is a whole house water filtration system.  I will use half my tax credit for that. Look at a storage system down the road.

How big a generator are you using? I would need to get a propane backup generator also in order to go completely off grid.

I had my ins co. do that last yr.  Got a better policy even with some earthquake protection for 600.00 more a yr. Hope they hang for awhile.

sorry mark, forgot the generator q. i have a honda3000eu. propane would be awesome but the best balance of cost and quiet operation is honda. unless cost or features puts it out of the question the only choice when buying a gas gen is honda imo. afaik gas generators can still be hooked up to some charge controllers and set up to turn on automatically when the batteries get low, and you can buy hoppers that fit honda gens, bringing the fuel capacity of the larger models up to 8-10gal, which for me is like 2-3 weeks of gas during mid spring-late fall when most days are sunny. right now i just plug the gen into my solar system with a 240v plug to charge the batteries, but a propane gen hardwired with automatic start is the real nice option.

i dont know if they turn off automatically to save gas tho - i usually just pour gas and count to 10 when my power goes out at night...gen runs for an hour or two and then im set until the sun comes out in the morn.

Someone should post that insurance company letter to Twitter and Facebook and tag the company account!  Bastards.