CAN ALSO BE A AREAS MEDICAL
ISSUE.
IN DUBLIN, DEVIN FEHELY, KPIX5.
WILSON WALKER THE UTILITY
COMPANIES ARE RAMPING UP
EFFORTS TO AVOID ROLLING
OUTAGES DURING THE EXTREME
HEAT.
Reporter: THIS IS A LONG-
TERM CHALLENGE THE CALIFORNIA
NOW.
WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS
PACIFIC NATURE OF THIS POWER
CRUNCH, SOLAR IS TAKING UP MORE
OF OUR GRID, SO OF COURSE GOES
AWAY WITH THE SUN SO HOW DO YOU
BRIDGE THAT GAP WITH THE DEMAND
CONTINUING INTO THE EVENING?
THAT IS THE CHALLENGE WE ARE
FACED WITH AGAIN FOR THE SECOND
TIME IN A MONTH HERE.
WELL, THE PROBLEM COMES FROM
BACK HERE AND HERE IN VACAVILLE
PG&E IS EXPERIMENTING WITH HOW
YOU FIX THIS.
THAT IS GOING UP, THE
GENERATIONS COMING DOWN.
Reporter: HOW DO YOU USE
SOLAR ENERGY WHEN THE SUN IS
GONE?
THREE YEARS AGO PG&E GAVE IS A
LOOK AT THE SET OF SODIUM
SULFUR BATTERIES COMBINED TO
MAKE ONE GIANT BATTERY, THE
IDEA HOLD THAT SOLAR POWER JUST
LONG ENOUGH TO HELP WITH
EVENING DEMAND.
WHAT WE FOUND IS THAT
GENERALLY, ENERGIES ORANGE, AS
IT IS TODAY, HAS A CAPACITY TO
DISCHARGE ABOUT FOUR HOURS, TO
HOLD ABOUT FOUR HOURS OF ENERGY
DISCHARGE DURATION.
Reporter: THREE YEARS LATER,
THEY ARE WORKING ON SIMILAR
PROJECTS THE CALIFORNIA.
WE HAVE MORE THAN 1000 MW OF
ENERGY STORAGE UNDER CONTRACT
TODAY AND THESE ARE BATTERY
ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS.
Reporter: ONE OF THEM IN
MONTEREY COUNTY WOULD BE AMONG
THE LARGEST OF ITS KIND IN THE
WORLD.
BUT EVEN THAT WILL NOT BE
ENOUGH TO CLOSE THE GAP AND
HEAT WAVES, LIKE THE ONE COMING
THIS WEEKEND.
WHEN THAT HAPPENS WE NEED TO
HAVE ENOUGH OTHER RESOURCES TO
MEET THE DEMANDS.
AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT, THE
PLANET REALLY HAS NOT KEPT UP
WITH.
Reporter: KIND OF A SLOW-
MOTION PROBLEM WITH MADE FOR
OURSELVES, TOO MUCH SOLAR AND
NOT QUITE ENOUGH TO COVER THE
DEMAND WHEN THAT LITTLE GAP
EMERGES, SO THIS PROBLEM WILL
BE WITH US FOR A WHILE AS YOU
MENTIONED.
THEY HAVE GONE AHEAD AND
EXTENDED THE LIFE OF SEVERAL
POWER PLANTS DOWN IN SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA.
THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO GET
SHUTTERED AT THE END OF THIS
YEAR, THEY WERE GOING TO GO ON
FOR ANOTHER YEAR OR THREE YEARS
DEPENDING ON WHICH PLANT, SO
CALIFORNIA HAS YET ANOTHER
ENERGY PROBLEM ON ITS HANDS
HERE, AND SOMETHING LIKE A
BREAKTHROUGH IN BATTERY
