By Sarah Golden
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Heatwaves are a double whammy for the electrical grid. The combination of the hot weather and the increased energy running along wires go beyond what they were built to endure. As a result, transmission lines swell and sag and, in some cases, can topple infrastructure.
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About half of the homes in the Pacific Northwest don’t have air conditioning. After last week, that is likely to change as people recognize that AC isn’t just a luxury; it’s a needed form of climate adaptation.
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Last week, Arevon opened its Saticoy 100-MW battery energy storage system in Oxnard, California, which will charge from the grid during nonpeak hours. Two years ago, Southern California Edison opted to build a battery system instead of a new peaker plant in California in its service territory. Oakland’s East Bay Community Energy also signed a contract in 2019 to swap out its jet-fueled peaker plant with a 20-megawatt, four-hour-duration lithium-ion battery plant, which it says will alleviate air pollution for the neighbors.
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