State commission: Eclipse gives chance to save energy
A solar eclipse is about to happen — and it’s a chance to give the sun a break and conserve energy.
That’s what the California Public Utilities Commission wants people to do Aug. 21, when the total and partial eclipse will take place across portions of the western United States.
“By plugging into the power of California’s citizens and unplugging from the grid, we can have cleaner air, keep our system reliable, and send a message to the rest of the country that we can do all of that without being forced to rely on fossil fuels as the only foundation of our electricity,” according to caleclipse.org, a website state officials have set up about the eclipse.
Among those joining the “Do Your Thing for the Sun” campaign to promote conservation is Alameda Municipal Power, the cityowned utility.
Energy saving steps people can take include replacing light bulbs with LEDs; turning off lights; not charging electronics during the eclipse; and unplugging appliances not in use, such as a toaster, microwave, and television.
State officials are urging people to go online and pledge to burn fewer fossil fuels when solar energy production will dip during the eclipse. Go to https://ia.cpuc. ca.gov/form/page.aspx? id=1 for information.
The eclipse is expected to oc- cur from 9:02 a. m. to 11:54 a. m., with the moon obscuring 58 percent to 76 percent of solar rays depending on the location, and causing a loss of 4,194 megawatts of California large scale solar electricity, according to state officials.
“While our utilities and grid operator have all the tools necessary to manage the grid during the eclipse, what if millions of Californians stepped in to allow our hard working sun to take a break, rather than relying on expensive and inefficient natural gas peaking power plants?” the website says.