In its downtown Long Beach, filled with rows of thousands of computer server farm-like batteries, Weikko Wirta saw its 400-megawatt facility, one of the largest in the state, come into full swing during the heatwave. . Thanks to them, the company was able to store the solar energy produced during the day and redistribute it in the evening to “bridge the gap between 16-17 and 22, when the decline in photovoltaic supply at sunset and the record demand for air conditioning risked the collapse of the electricity grid.
In August 2020, a brutal heatwave that hit the entire western United States forced California, pioneer of renewable energies, to cut electricity to 800,000 homes and businesses at certain times for two days. Unheard of for nearly 20 years.
The technology of the “future”
Faced with the return of extreme temperatures this year, such voluntary cuts were narrowly avoided in early September, thanks in particular to the rush to meet California’s climate goals.
On September 5, at the height of the heat wave, the batteries were able to produce 3,300 megawatts in the evening, according to the California power grid ISO. “That’s more than the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, which is the largest power plant in the state and produces about 2,200 megawatts,” said Mike Ferry, a researcher at the University of San Diego.
“Barely noticeable” during the previous heatwave of 2020, this technology established itself as “a key to enabling the state to avoid power outages” by providing the missing energy headroom to the grid. It represents “the future of what our power grid will look like,” insists Mike Ferry.
California is still very dependent on natural gas and has had to import electricity from other US states to withstand the latest heatwave. Authorities have also multiplied the alarms to reduce demand. For the researcher, the other lesson of this heatwave remains the ease with which Californians have voluntarily reduced their electricity consumption in the evening. This observation is all the more interesting as the state is currently developing programs to reward consumers who limit their consumption.
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