PG&E Power Shutdown?
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Surprised this hasn't already been brought up. Tens of thousands of Bay Area homes and businesses are without power after PG&E shut off electricity to around 600,000 customers across California to prevent a potential wildfire. Anyone affected?
What is a Public Safety Power Shutoff?
General emergencyFor public safety, it may be necessary for us to turn off electricity when gusty winds and dry conditions, combined with a heightened fire risk, are forecasted. This is called a “Public Safety Power Shutoff” or “PSPS.”
While customers in high fire-threat areas are more likely to be affected, any of PG&E’s more than 5 million electric customers could have their power shut off. This is because the energy system relies on power lines working together to provide electricity across cities, counties and regions.
General Outage
Outages could last several days
We want to work together to help our customers prepare and keep your home, family or business safe during extreme weather and possible outages. Learn more about how to prepare a safety plan.
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Please make sure we have your correct email address, landline and mobile number so we can reach out to you in advance of a public safety power outage, when and where possible.
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Motivated by bankruptcy
But there are fires
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I have friends out there that are bitching about it. I told them it was likely better than burning to death...
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It is generally accepted the electrical power distribution infrastructure is getting pretty old and reaching the end of it's design life. The question to me is whether utilities are forgoing replacement/upgrading in favor of profit. Or are higher rates needed to replace/upgrade?
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Discussion of many of the issues here:
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@zBrown said in PG&E Power Shutdown?:
Discussion of many of the issues here:
Definitely worth reading. Thanks for the link.
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As some of you know, I am an arborist that audits PG&E tree work near distribution and transmission lines.
It sucks being the bearer of bad news, especially in light of discovery that PG&E gave shareholder payouts and bonuses to top dogs.I strongly disagree with these payouts but the folks literally walking the line are doing their best to ensure public safety.
A few thoughts going forward with any ongoing discussion could use some information;
I will use the Feather River canyon as an example as I am very familiar with it as part of my area and also that is where last year's devastating Camp Fire originated.
There are at least a dozen transmission lines stacked along the ridges of the canyon. Each one is delivering between 115,000 to 500,000 volts to various distribution centers. The canyon is more or less solid granite. Try putting that shit underground.
Just to make transmission lines safe would require the removal and topping of millions of trees, we currently top, trim or remove 1 to 2 million trees per year in PG&E area.
Electricity gets delivered to your home via distribution lines energized between 4,000 to 21,000 volts. We trim, top and remove 1 million trees on average per year. To ensure no tree caused outage/fire will require every tree within striking distance to be removed or topped.
Many people have threatened to kill me over the years just attempting to examine a potential failure tree. Multiply that a 1,000 times and get a better picture of reality before throwing out the why no go underground solution.
Hopefully some will understand that there is no quick fix and even if we got all the distribution lines underground (+/- $10,000 for one pole to pole span) we would still be subject to the transmission lines failing during strong, dry winds and therefore shutting off the power sucks but sure beats everything burning to the ground .
Just look at last week's wind event; No big fire up here in Northern California and big fire in Southern California more than likely caused by powerlines.
OK, now discuss.. .....rationally.
Andy T aka Timid TopRope
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you always need a working stiff to put it all in perspective..
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@NickG , say, nick... my brother matt, told me about all this, too... he is near groveland...
he realizes you got to face it, for now...
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@Alfalfa , hey there say, andy... wheww... thanks... yeah, my brother, like i said... he knows-- you just got to do , what you got to do... which means, facing the outages, where ever one lives...
at times like this... we need to hear info, like yours... thank you so very much...
we know an arbolist, blair glen... in los gatos... he says the same thing... though, he left out the tech stuff...
folks do no realize the full potential danger...
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@johntp -- say, john... good subject, to share this... thank you...
happy good eve, too...
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@David-Harris , hey there say, david and zBrown... did not read it yet... thanks for putting in info, too, here...
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Thanks for your insights Andy!
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No easy answer.
I have 2 generators, and during a 7 hour blackout a year ago I scored points with the neighbors down south letting them take turns with one of them for their freezers.
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Just what the news is saying
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@zBrown hey there, say... thanks... going to go read it...
