The California ISO on Friday released 2021 statistics about renewable energy, resources, historical data and curtailment totals. The report also noted an increased number of flex alerts, going from five last year to a total of eight this year.
"We ask our customers to prepare for the heat as well, particularly if they are in areas that are historically affected," said PG&E communications representative Mark Mesesan.
Mesesan says one of the ways you can prepare is by pre-cooling your home or work space. Lowering your thermostat in the morning and then raising it as the temperature rises throughout the day can save energy. You can then circulate the pre-cooled air with a fan.
"PG&E is preparing for the heat now. This includes the use of outage prediction models that help us determine potential timing, location and number of outages," said Mesesan.
Solar power is also at an all-time high.
Resident Shaikara Daan says she isn't surprised by the increase in use of solar power. She says solar panels are becoming more and more common.
"You have houses that look like they need to be updated and they have solar panels. So it must be efficient because, like I said, you have houses that need to have work done on it and they have solar panels," Daan said.
Daan uses solar panels to power electronics but still has reservations about using solar to power her home.
"It’s just like, okay, is it going to be useful if we have a real crisis as far as if it needs maintenance work?" said Daan.
