Last Friday's blackout started at around 6:30pm, after the California’s grid operator determined the state’s power reserves had fallen below a critical threshold.
The operator called a "Stage 3 Grid Emergency", which triggered the
"load interruption" ( aka blackouts).
‘A Stage 3 Emergency is declared when demand outpaces available supply. Rotating power interruptions have been initiated to maintain stability of the electric grid,’ the Independent System Operator announced shortly before 6pm.
The state's regulator told utilities to cut demand by about 1,000 megawatts, or enough to power about 750,000 homes. Based on the average household size, over 2 million people were affected. This was the biggest power cut since 2001, during a huge electric crisis.
Millions of residents stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic still get hungry at dinnertime. With the AC on, and some people using electric power for cooking, electricity demand peaksat dinner time.
Despite the availability of Twitter, Facebook, and mobile phones, residents were not personally notified. Thousands of vulnerable people were suddenly without air-conditioning, during a severe heatwave.
A California “Renewables Mandate” requires local utilities to purchase a huge amount of expensive, unreliable solar, wind, and other renewable energy. Large hydroelectric dams, however, are NOT counted as “renewables” under the Mandate.
When the solar power started to run out as the sun was setting, the rolling blackouts began. Renewables are not ready to go solo -- they need 100% full fossil backup for times when there is no sun and no wind A child could figure that out, but climate alarmists apparently can not.