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Heat Wave Causing Energy Demand Spike

Heat Wave Causing Energy Demand Spike
The recent heat wave hitting the San Diego area has caused a jump in energy usage. But the people who manage California’s power grid aren’t concerned about the supply.

The recent heat wave hitting the San Diego area has caused a jump in energy usage. But the people who manage California’s power grid aren’t concerned about the supply.

The heat wave rolling over San Diego County has brought temperatures of over 100 degrees to some areas. Greg Fishman, who is with the California Independent System Operator, which runs most of the state’s high voltage power grid, said demand has spiked statewide in the past few days, but especially in Southern California. He said he expects Californians to use more energy today than any other day of the year so far.

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“Every year we see heat waves of several days and usually it’s the second, third or fourth day where we really see high demand, when heat really has a chance to build in the urban environment. Buildings, pavement all kind of absorb the heat,” he said.

But Fishman says the recent demand still falls within the normal range for summer.