—the entity that controls the electric grid in the state—to curtail electricity use from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. every day through next week. The reason given was that if we carry on with business as usual it would mean rolling blackouts—i.e., we might crash the system. A gander at the National Weather Service map shows the whole country is sizzling, too, so as California goes, so goes the nation, at least this weekend.
As I type this the clock just passed 9 p.m. and I turned on the dishwasher. We can all cooperate in making the most of the electric grid we have. The reason power is so strained from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. is because solar power input trickles out, but demand for air conditioning remains. So we turn on the dishwasher outside those hours. But that’s only a few days a year that the grid gets so overloaded.
Think of the one million electric cars in California, for instance , as a huge battery, storing electric capacity for use in times of peak demand. One million EVs with 100-kWh batteries equals 100 million kWh. When the grid needs a little boost, like during those peak hours, a million battery packs stand ready. Or theystand ready. The only thing missing is V2G charging capability. That’s vehicle-to-grid.
So we're going to need more* electric power for more ELECTRolysis to make hydrogen for fuel cell tech to power EVs? Pro tip: let's just stick with the hydrocarbons that got us this far. tan123