When temperatures rise in summer, so does demand for electricity across the state, particularly in the form of increased air conditioning use. Heightened demand can also coincide with reduced energy imports due to neighboring states facing similar heat patterns, and reduced in-state hydroelectric power production due to drought. Wildfires can also disrupt power generation and transmission lines, further impacting supply. To keep Californians safe and ensure a successful transition to a reliable, affordable, clean energy future, the state is working to rapidly deploy new projects and maintain existing resources for emergency use. Consumers are also encouraged to participate in conserving electricity when possible as outlined below.
Ways to Help
The public, consumers and businesses can do their part to help when California experiences extreme weather that causes tight energy supplies. Here are some ways to help:
- Voluntarily conserve energy during a Flex Alert
- Get paid to conserve energy during grid emergencies through new and innovative demand response programs:
Summer Reliability Analysis
- Joint Agency Reliability Planning Assessment - Fourth Quarterly Report - Provides the fourth quarterly review of the demand forecast, supply forecast, and risks to reliability in the California Independent System Operator territory from 2023 to 2032, as required by Senate Bill 846 (Dodd, Chapter 239, Statutes of 2022). Includes an updated analysis for summer 2023.
- Joint Agency Reliability Planning Assessment - Third Quarterly Report - Provides the third quarterly review of the demand forecast, supply forecast, and risks to reliability in the California Independent System Operator territory from 2023 to 2032, as required by Senate Bill 846 (Dodd, Chapter 239, Statutes of 2022). Includes an updated analysis for summer 2023.
- Joint Agency Reliability Planning Assessment - Second Quarterly Report - Provides the second quarterly review of the demand forecast, supply forecast, and risks to reliability in the California Independent System Operator territory from 2023 to 2032, as required by Senate Bill 846 (Dodd, Chapter 239, Statutes of 2022). Includes an updated analysis for summer 2023.
- Joint Agency Reliability Planning Assessment - Addresses requirements for electricity reliability reporting in Senate Bill 846 (Dodd, Chapter 239, Statutes of 2022) and Assembly Bill 205 (Committee on Budget, Chapter 61, Statutes of 2022).
- Clean Energy Reliability Investment Plan - Addresses a requirement in Senate Bill 846 (Dodd, Chapter 239, Statutes of 2022) for the California Energy Commission to develop a $1 billion investment plan for clean energy resources.
- 2022 Summer Stack Analysis - Examines the potential impacts of a west-wide extreme weather event and prolonged drought in the critical months of July though September between 2022 and 2026.
- Emergency Proclamation - Report responding to the Governor's July 30, 2021 Emergency Proclamation.
- 2021 Summer Stack Analysis - Estimates the potential gap between supply and demand under average and extreme weather conditions similar to those in summer 2020 to plan for additional contingencies.
- Summer 2021 and 2022 Reliability Analysis - Review of Summer 2020 outages, 2021 heat events, and how grid reliability may be impacted in the Summer 2022.
- Midterm Reliability Analysis - Provides the results of analyses conducted by CEC staff to inform decisions about the need for future resource procurement to support reliability for the midterm (2023 – 2026).
- 2021 Joint Agencies CAISO Balancing Authority Area Electric Reliability Contingency Plan - Describes how the CEC, CPUC, and CAISO will coordinate in advance of and throughout an anticipated electricity supply shortfall event in the CAISO balancing area, describes contingency resources that can support the grid during an anticipated shortfall, and describes the roles and responsibilities of each energy institution to identify and pursue contingency resources, as well as the triggers associated with engaging each resource.
- Joint Agency Root Cause Analysis - Findings which are attributed to the mid-August 2020 rotating electricity outages amongst a West-wide extreme heat wave.