ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area California's Paradox

This is getting crazy...

Go to: http://www.latimes.com/news/asection/20010702/t000054600.html

And people still ask me why I moved from California to West Virginia. All I can say is "Only in America."

Tom

"Every program you have, you're going to have people that figure out how to work the system."

so true....

One customer we have has 2 meters. One is subject to this load shed program. The program has been in place for years, and they've enjoyed reduced rates in exchange for the possibility of having to shut down this service if the need arises.
They've installed a complete duplicate set of compressors, cooling towers, pumps, etc. on the regular service. When requested to dump the load, they simply turn on the backup equip., and shut down the requested system. Solenoid valves then are used to transfer the piping.
It keeps them in production, and technically is totally legal (no modifications are allowed to the load shed service, but they're only switching plumbing connections!) And, oh yes, their load goes up immensely while both systems are running during the transfer, and since the backup equipment is actually larger than the primary system, the load stays above the original figure for the duration of this energy-saving "blackout") Both services are tapped from the same utility transformer.
. This whole power shortage thing's become a big joke, but the jokes on us all.
Tom, talk to me about nuts that stay in SoCA in February, when I'm surfing (maybe it'll even be raining!)and you're freezing. (You're right, though, we are all nuts for putting up with the things we do)



[This message has been edited by electure (edited 07-06-2001).]

Electure,

Maybe you're the rarest of all birds, a native born Californian?

I tried it for 5 years, i like the seasons too much, including the one that turns you know what blue.

Tom

[This message has been edited by Tom (edited 07-06-2001).]

Yes, born in Long Beach, but I'm not in any Audubon books yet.

Interestingly, Disney has decided to begin having their "Electrical Parade" again, right in the midst of all this. Nobody but nobody tells Mickey Mouse what to do. They use 850 batteries weighing 65 pounds apiece. Although Mickey's got his own little generating facility on site, I find this in very bad taste.
(BTW, I'm next on the ISO's "hit list" for rolling blackouts).

geeeeeezzzzz,
Walt made a lot of $$$ with his pet rat, but he doesn't need to flaunt it in an 'electrical parade'!