The afternoon and evening hours are when the grid is under the most strain due to heavy demand, thus the flex warnings advise individuals to use less energy during those times.
As the state swelters in record-breaking temperatures, the manager of California’s electricity grid has for the sixth day in a row urged residents to practice energy conservation.
The California Independent System Operator (ISO) said there could be rolling blackouts in the state if the guidance in the “flex alerts” isn’t followed.
During a flex alert, consumers are urged to reduce their energy use in the afternoon and evening hours when the grid is most stressed because of high demand.
People have been asked to use less power between 4 pm and 10 pm local time on Monday (midnight and 6 am UK time on Tuesday) under the latest alert.
The California ISO had earlier asked people to use less energy between 4 pm and 9 pm local time on Saturday and Sunday as demand spiked and temperatures were still on the rise.
Speaking at a news conference when alerts were announced for Saturday and Sunday, the California ISO’s president Elliot Mainzer said: “When we’re in a situation like this, where we’re right up against the margin of system capability and you have the kinds of threats to reliability from fires and generation plants coming offline, that consumer flexible demand, that response, can be the difference between the lights staying on or not.”
The latest alert comes after multiple generators were forced out of service due to extreme temperatures in the state, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Meanwhile, the California ISO has warned ongoing wildfires and potential new blazes could further strain the power grid by crippling lines and further generators.
“Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, in particular, are shaping up to be the most difficult of this heat wave,” the agency said in a news release.
The National Weather Service has warned temperatures in California could reach 115F (46C) by the middle of the week.
It comes after the southern California city of San Diego sweltered in a record temperature of 95F (35C) on Saturday.
Meanwhile, firefighters in Northern California’s Siskiyou County have been battling a fire that has left two people dead and caused thousands to evacuate their homes.