PGE was warning beforehand it could be 3-5 days to re-energize due to inspection etc. They are in full force this morning getting patrols in the air and on ground for inspections.
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I don’t think SDG&E has been turning off power to residences. Have they? I have heard of some turning off high power transmission lines, without any opposition, but this is putting thousands of people, businesses and traffic lights in the dark.
Yes SDG&E turns power off to residences. They have communicated this to all and it’s up to you to have whatever alternate source you feel you need. I am not aware of any starts from the HV transmission lines only the distribution lines
The power went off at 2120 hrs Sunday night in Volcano, Amador County. By midnight the wind was blowing like hell down our little valley. We have a generator, so no problem coping at our place. Likewise all my 1/2 dozen neighbors.
By approx 1500 hrs Monday the power was back on in “downtown” Pinegrove, just over the hill from us. Approx 1630 hrs Monday the PGE helicopter was overhead assessing the lines running through our valley. As of 2100 hrs Monday still no power here on Barone Rd.
No problem for us. But lots of small businesses without the means to install generators will undoubtedly take a big economic hit.
We got robo calls from PGE 48 and 24 hours ahead warning of the potential shutdown. The last call we got came approx 2 hours before actual shutdown saying “… has or will be shutting off the power…”.
Undergrounding is the true solution, but corporations will always choose the cheapest solution so as not to decrease profits for their shareholders. Trimming trees and cutting power is the cheap and easy way.
Do we know if undergrounding is even economically feasible? My gut says no. If undergrounding were hypothetically made mandatory, my guess is it would no longer be viable to serve a lot of customers out these 1.5 lane roads on 5 acre parcels.
Many of these lines have been here for 50-100 years. My assertion is that the unmitigated brush growth and refusal of small landowners to do anything about it is one of the major factors leading to this situation.
There’s always wind and solar. Even if you’re not well positioned to run your whole house on solar, it might get you by with the essentials during a blackout.
Solar alone does not give you power during a power outage!!
90% of people who have solar do not have the required external storage devices. They can cost upwards of $8000 each and depending on how many panels you have. Most homes would need 2 and its a cost that most people paying $30-40k on solar just don’t have.
What your talking about isn’t really a feasible option for most people. An off-grid solar system cost around 20k-50K depending on the size of the structure. A grid-tied system with battery backup, which is what would be needed during a power outage, cost around 15k. Most consumer solar systems i.e. SolarCity, Sunrun, etc. don’t actually generate electricity for the house they are on, they feed electricity back into the grid and the house uses electricity from the grid just like a house without solar would.
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It’s a smart move is this litigation happy state.
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Sounds like you may want to check the fuel in your generators as I would guess they might shut it down again
I got the call in Foresthill a short while ago as well… They’re threatening to kill power from Tuesday night through Saturday. This weeks night-time temps are dipping into the mid 40s – well below minimal legal habitation requirements, and those of us without entirely passive unpowered furnaces, wood-burning stoves or fireplaces will have no safe way of heating (many will likely resort to unsafe portable heaters); they are creating an emergency, not averting one.
Boy Scouts say, be prepared…no way I would be solely dependent on miles of wire snaked through the trees for my only source of heat, fire danger shutdowns or not.
That being said, back in 2010/11 or whatever horrible winter, we lived in a different house and we just put on coats inside the house and lit a lantern, it got down into the 50s but we did not mind too much, beats being outdoors.
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My house has a wall heater with fan. I got by with a 1600/2000 watt generator during the awful winter of 15/16 with no power for 10 days with that system. I do have natural gas for stove, wall heater and water, so do not have big power consumption needs. Kept the refer, and internet going as well as the tv. Being prepared does not have to cost allota. There are generators around $500 with that power. Bear in mind you can’t run a microwave and hair dryer at the same time but you can get by, unless your all electric, then you have to step up to much more $$ and power.
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If you have piped water and gas, a small generator will handle the basic needs quite easily. When you’re on propane gas and deep well water, it requires rather more power than an inexpensive generator can provide and significant extra fuel storage capacity to go for many days on end without power (50-200kBTU/hr for just the generator).
The bigger concern in my eyes is that many residents will likely resort to using a Mr. Heater type propane appliance indoors, despite the numerous warnings about the fire and CO dangers, or will attempt to jury-rig a generator connection which then backfeeds into the grid, and end up injuring/killing themselves, their families, utility workers, and/or first-responders.
My experience from living in the Sierras was that roughly 99% of folks on well/propane systems are already well-accustomed to extended outages, most had wood/pellet stoves, storage tanks, sufficient backup generation, and put on extra layers when needed.
While I sympathize with that 1%, common sense implies if you choose to stake your life in the interface then the responsibility falls on the resident to get educated and be prepared… caveat emptor!
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It’s easy. Tell mama to toss another log on the fire.
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You make a good point on the backfeed issue. When I remodled my house I put in a transfer switch to the panel. That eliminated the issue. For folks who will use an extension cord into the house, then plug in what they
need,should turn off their panel to the incoming service. The right way to go is a transfer switch. But in a pinch, a generator OUTSIDE and a cord with at least a 12 gauge rating coming in; can get you something like refer, some lights and maybe keep your pellet stove going.
Confirming your T-man friend, all circuits visually inspected prior to re-energizing. That’s the time killer, then if some hazard exists, more time…
Just received notification SDGE in San Diego county may shut down power due to winds