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Norcal heat wave
- Thread starter getakey
- Start date
I really don't think they scapegoated EVs. It is factual that charging that EV at peak times is a very bad idea since you can pull 150 kW. And this is especially true when the grid is maxed out. So, I can get why they added the warning. But after a few huge bills most EV owners avoid charging at those times. That is, unless you are an older Tesla owner with unlimited Supercharging. But then you should know better.
Essentially the CAISO sent out warnings to all the TV stations and other media telling people to turn up their thermostat, avoid charging EV during peak consumption hours, and do everything else you can to reduce your load on the grid. PG&E, SCE, SD, etc. parroted these warnings via TV, text, etc.
Isn't it risky to not have more charge on EVs during these events? I actually raised our EV charge since we may have to evacuate due to wildfires risk/notices during the summer.
I am not in an area that is prone to a wildfire, but back in 2020 we came very close to be under an evacuation order. At the start of the events on 8/30 I think I was at 85% which has been decreasing due to very local trips and a couple that were 50mi round trip.
At 10% I didn't not feel comfortable which is why I charged it today and a bit last night. At 40%+ I feel very comfortable that if we needed to evacuate we have sufficient charge to go where we would need to go.
Yeah, basically PG&E has parroted things from CAISO. So either PG&E gave no consideration to the downstream effects, or they had a say in approving the narrative. And so far the narrative includes a big carve-out to spotlight EV owners and EV charging.
Here's the PG&E release about it.
The folks who dislike EVs jump right on that "Charge EV bullet". They go out and find pictures of Teslas still charging at 6pm and say "see, Tesla owners don't care about us". If you're a sophisticated PR/Marketing team, you know damn well what happens when you highlight EVs on alerts to request behavior modification.
PG&E didn't publish a warning to commercial real estate operators to have their ceiling lights and HVAC timers turn off at 4:00pm. Because such spotlighting energy consumption to commercial operators would be offensive, and PG&E is no dummy.
PG&E didn't publish an alert to restaurants to delay turning on signage until 7pm. Because such spotlighting energy consumption to retail users would be offensive, and PG&E is no dummy.
PG&E spotlights EVs because they're just an easy target, but that's my point... I don't know why EVs were made a target. You could simply consider an EV as a "large appliance" and remove mention of EV as a discrete bullet for conservation.
Im 5 miles away from a fire evacuation order right now as I type this (09/08/2022 at 3:50pm). I normally keep my wifes model Y at 60% charge but charged it to 90%. I drove home from work when my wife contacted me about the expanded evacuation zone and how close we are to it, and when I got home at 2pm yes I started my car charging cause I was down to 50% and I wanted at least 80% in there in case I need to go somewhere.
Yes, I can stop by a supercharger if I need to, but yes, I also charged my car(s) at 1PM -3:30pm. I wouldnt charge them after 4pm, but given I might need to evacuate, I see this no different than people who would be stopping by a gas station to fill up in exactly this same circumstance.
Personal safety should always be a priority. I hope that you, your wife and your home stay safe.
Thanks, I appreciate it.
FWIW, I dont charge my powerwalls from the grid normally, but stormwatch also just kicked in, in my area (for high winds). Lets hope that this wind also brings some rain that they say might come with it.
In case anyone is interested, the fire by me is called the "Fairview Fire"
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I'm blaming daylight saving time for part of the problem. If it got dark earlier, the peak wouldn't be so bad.
(j/k) (social media: run with it.)
(j/k) (social media: run with it.)
I think PG&Es list should also include "Fill up your car since the pumps don't work without power!!!". And perhaps "buy beer early since stores closed when there is no electricity"
Stay safe and remember things can be replaced. You and your family cannot!
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Isn't that the reverse? If the current 4:00pm xDT was actually 6:00pm then there would be a lot of solar available to run the ovens, cooktops, microwaves, TVs and A/C when people get home. That's why the push is to make the current US Daylight Saving Time year round instead of move the clock back an hour in winter when it reverts to Standard Time reducing solar production at the peak time.
@Redhill_qik By golly, I see what you mean. There does seem to be a correlation between Standard Time and lower solar output. Hmm...
Went to CalFire and saw the fire was only 5% contained. Hope the winds blow in the opposite direction from where you live. I heard on our morning news rain was a possibility in southern Calif area. Let’s hope so for everyone’s sake. Can’t imagine fighting a fire in this heat.
In 2020 the lightning fire in Henry Coe caused evacuations of homes near the ridge and active fire was reported 13 miles from our town. It was advancing west towards town and have to say we spent a very sleepless night not knowing what the winds would do. Fortunately they changed course and blew eastward to the relief of everyone on the ridge and in town (given the distance blown embers can travel). Best of luck. It is scary and in this heat trying to evacuate can’t be easy to collect things to go. Glad you charged already to evacuate with enough range. Sure SCs in area with evacuating cars anxious to leave would be a tense scene.
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@jjrandorin, just a thought, if you have cabin overheat turned on you should consider turning off to preserve as much range as you can at this point in case you need to evac. Not sure what the prudent move is for solar/PWs…set reserve to a level to keep storage and turn AC off if you have to evacuate so when you return batteries aren’t depleted if grid isn’t down??
There's no derating or throttling mechanism, the transformer just keeps heating up under overload until it blows up due to an internal insulation failure from extended overtemperature.
A 15 or 25 kVA transformer is only going to be serving a few houses, so a transformer failure that would cause an outage for 1000 people is going to be farther upstream, say between two different primary voltages (at a substation). But for a 25 kVA transformer, it might be rated for a 65C temperature rise over ambient at 100% rated load, with a design ambient of 30C. At that loading, it would take it several hours to actually reach the design temperature of 95C, because of thermal mass of the transformer and its liquid fill (oil)
A 200A residential service is nominally 48 kVA, but if that house is using "only" 50 kWh per day, that's just 2 kVA on average (at 100% PF). So the POCO is fine with operating that 25 kVA transformer at 30 or 35 kVA for a couple hours during peak periods, if the rest of the time it is operating at under 25 kVA.
But now if the overnight temperature is almost 30C (86F), and if the overnight loading is near 100%, with several hours during the day overloaded, and ambient above 30C, then the transformer is going to spend time above 95C. The insulation in the transformer will have a rating above 95C, but the wire will also be hotter than the oil and the outside of the case (since the wire is the heat source). Extended overheating will cause insulation breakdown (at a rate that increases exponentially with wire temperature, e.g. a 5C temperature rise might double the breakdown rate). Long term overloading will eventually cause insulation failure.
Cheers, Wayne
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I dont use cabin overheat protection. My powerwalls are full, and I can turn the AC on and off via app on my phone so that part is covered. Thanks for the reminder though, I appreciate it. Today happens to be my wife and I wedding anniversary (37 years), but we are just sorta hunkered down and about to watch football rather than go out to dinner, etc.
ucmndd
Well-Known Member
Yes - technically storm watch does too.
But I can’t imagine any scenario where the IRS is going to audit that on any significant scale.
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