Q and A -- Kim Scherer

With rolling blackouts a realistic threat every day -- especially

those hot days -- it’s logical to believe it’s going to be a long summer.

But also logical is learning more information about the power crisis and

the rolling blackouts that result.

Daily Pilot Assistant City Editor James Meier sat down with Southern

California Edison region manager Kim Scherer to discuss the blackouts, as

well as conservation and preparation tips.

Scherer’s region includes Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Irvine and

Tustin.

Can you explain exactly what a rolling blackout is, why it’s done

and who calls for it?

The California Independent System Operator calls for rotating outages

when the state’s electricity reserves fall under 1.5% in real time. They

are independent and were set up for deregulation. They monitor how much

of a demand there is with the supply of electricity available. It’s basic

economics, really. And you cannot store energy, which is a reason the

outages are necessary.

When there is a significant imbalance between the supply and demand,

that’s when the Independent System Operator issues the warnings and Stage

1, 2 and 3 emergencies. They begin when the reserve power is less than 7%

in real time.

During a Stage 2, or when the reserves are less than 5%, they call for

voluntary interruptions on those at an interruptible rate. Some

residential customers will experience outages at that point.

When we get to 1.5% of the system’s reserves in real time, the

Independent System Operator declares a Stage 3 and will try to procure

power in any way. The only way to get that power is to go to rotating

blackouts.

There are different circuits, each of which serves between 800 and

2,000 customers. The circuits are electrical lines that supply power to

different areas. They are in groups that make up about 100 megawatts of power. We don’t want an entire community to go dark. We want the least

impact on an area.

So, the Independent System Operator tells us how many people we need

to drop. On Monday, the ISO requested 168 megawatts, which ended up being

two groupings of circuits, and including cities like Newport Beach and

Costa Mesa.

If it’s a hot summer, that could be worse. If it’s a cool summer, it

won’t be as bad. But there will definitely be more this summer.

We are doing some things to help out. We will have the information

readily available on our Web site, which is https://www.sce.com.

Unfortunately for us is we don’t know when it’s going to happen. On

Wednesday, we thought we had to and we were ready, but the ISO procured

enough power. We called the public safety agencies to warn them. They’d

rather have some information than no information. So, all the government

agencies are kept up to speed.

Are rolling blackouts a new thing and, if not, have they ever been

performed outside of California?

They’re not a new thing in that the plan has been in place since the

‘70s, when we were having energy problems. As far as other states, I

don’t know. They have brownouts in the East, where they dim the lights by

dropping the voltage.

With everything so automated these days, that’s pretty difficult.

How long into the future should we expect to receive calls for

rolling blackouts in Southern California?

It just really depends. Right now, the government is trying to procure

some more power.

Prior to restructuring -- it’s not deregulation -- PG&E;, San Diego and

Edison were required to sell off at least 50% of the plants and were

encouraged to sell off even more. That’s caused some of the problems.

I believe we [Edison] generate power for 35% to 40% of our cities.

Why did Northern California experience waves of blackouts before

Southern California?

PG&E;’s system is set up different than ours. Their transmission lines

have congestion. They were short power up in Northern California, and we,

in Southern California, couldn’t send any up there. San Francisco was one

of the first ones hit.

What should we do to prepare ourselves for rolling blackouts?

Public safety is our primary concern. Like in any emergency, we want

them to have flashlights, wireless phones, batteries. If on life support,

they need to have a plan that includes transportation arrangements.

Also, you should turn off everything, but one light bulb in your home

so you know when the power is back on. If you know there’s going to be a

blackout, you should avoid using elevators.

Of course there are going to be blacked out traffic lights. Those are

four-way stops. Some cities are looking at buying backup power for their

lights.

What advice do you have for residents in conserving energy to

prevent as many blackouts as possible?

Conservation. Keep the air conditioning thermostats down to 78 degrees

and use ceiling fans. Don’t use major appliances during the day. Turn off

all computers and printers when not in use. Turn off the light when

leaving the room. Use more efficient light bulbs. Use compact

fluorescents.

Refrigerators older than 10 years old are not efficient. There are

rebates that we offer out there. Some programs provide free fridges for

low-income families.

Pool motors. You can get a $200 rebate for more efficient motors. You

can save $40 if you run them at night and not during the day.

Are there any particular places at which blackouts cannot occur?

Yes, the Public Utilities Commission has essential customers like

public safety agencies, hospitals, water and sewage systems. If you live

next to a fire station, you’re well off. There are no guarantees, but

you’re better off.

Right now, they seem to be occurring in the late afternoon. More

than likely, will they start calling for blackouts throughout the day

this summer?

Could be. But you never know when they’ll occur because it’s up to the

ISO. So, unfortunately, we can’t just forecast them. You can check our

Web site or the California Independent System Operator Web site.

On our Web site, you can also find those rebates, self audits, prices,

bills, etc. There’s also a 15% discount for low-income families who

qualify after filling out an application for an alternate rate for

energy. It’s a quick and easy form. There are a lot of qualifying

families out there, and we need them to be on that rate to protect them.

We’re all in this together. That’s the bottom line.