Riaan 
Imvula enamandla nokulahlwa kweqhwa kudale umonakalo kulo lonke elase-California ebusika obudlule. Kodwa isimo sezulu sasendle saletha umphumela omuhle: Amadamu okugcina amanzi manje anensada yezinsiza zika-H2O ukusebenzisa amajeneretha kagesi ophehla amandla ezwe kuleli hlobo.
Lelo qiniso, kuhlangene nokwenyuswa kwerekhodi lamandla elanga asetshenziswayo kanye nokugcinwa kwebhethri, kunezibikezelo zamandla eziqinisekayo ukuthi umbuso ungagwema ukushoda kukagesi okungaba yingozi kwalolu hlobo oluza negagasi lokushisa lezinsuku eziyi-10 langoSepthemba odlule, ngokusho kwezikhulu zombuso isithangami nabezindaba ngoLwesithathu.
Isifunda sesizwe esinabantu abaningi ngokuvamile sinogesi ongaphezu kokwanele ukunika amandla ezindlini namabhizinisi abantu abangaphezu kwezigidi ezingu-39. Kodwa igridi kagesi iba nenkinga lapho kushisa kakhulu futhi wonke umuntu evula ama-air conditioner akhe ngesikhathi esifanayo.
Igridi kagesi yesifundazwe ihlukumezekile ngokwengxenye ngenxa yesomiso esibi esigcine amadamu esezingeni eliphansi ngendlela eyingozi, okushiya mancane amanzi okudlula ezimbonini eziphehla ugesi ngamanzi. Izinga lamanzi eLake Oroville lehla kakhulu ngo-2021 kangangokuthi izikhulu zombuso kwadingeka zivale imboni yokuphehla ugesi ngamanzi eyayikwazi ukunika amandla amakhaya angu-80,000.
Lokho ngeke kube yinkinga kulo nyaka ngemuva kokuthi iziphepho zasebusika zilahle imvula neqhwa eningi esifundazweni. Ngaphezu kwalokho, amamegawathi engeziwe angu-8,594 avela emoyeni, elanga kanye nesitoreji sebhethri azotholakala ku-inthanethi ngoSepthemba 1, ngokusho kukaNeil Millar, iphini likamongameli wezokuhlela nokuthuthukiswa kwengqalasizinda yeCalifornia Independent System Operator, ephethe amandla ombuso. igridi.
I-megawatt eyodwa kagesi yanele ukufaka amandla ezindlini ezingaba ngu-750.
“Sisendaweni engcono kunangonyaka odlule. Sinethemba elikhulu,” kusho uSilva Gunda, ukhomishana eCalifornia Energy Commission. Izikhulu zikahulumeni zaphawula ukuthi izibikezelo zisekelwe emazingeni okushisa aphakathi nendawo, futhi isimo sezulu eminyakeni yamuva nje besilokhu singalingani. “Kodwa uma kubhekwa isimo esibi kakhulu sokushintsha kwesimo sezulu, uyazi ukuthi kufanele siqaphele njengoba siqhubekela phambili, futhi silungele ukusekela igridi.”
Ngokusekela igridi, ubhekisele ekuzimiseleni kwezakhamizi zase-California ngoSepthemba odlule ukunciphisa ukusetshenziswa kwamandla, ikakhulukazi phakathi namahora aphakeme phakathi kuka-4pm no-9pm Ngaphandle kokuncipha, izinsiza kungenzeka ziphendukele ekucinyweni kukagesi.
Izazi zezulu ziyakuxwayisa lokho isimo sezulu sika-El Niño salo nyaka kungabangela amagagasi okushisa angathi sína futhi angaphinda aholele ekungalinganini kokunikezwa kukagesi ngasekupheleni kwehlobo.
Nakuba izikhulu zombuso ziphakamise ukuthi ubusika obumanzi bungase bunciphise ingozi yomlilo wequbula – umthombo wokunqamuka kukagesi okusabalele, okuhlala isikhathi eside ezintanjeni zikagesi ezilimele – kwezinye izingxenye zombuso kulo nyaka, umsebenzi womlilo wotshani ezindaweni eziphakeme eziphansi kusengaba yikhadi lasendle. Ochwepheshe bomlilo baphinde bathi utshani obuluhlaza, obudliwa yimvula nezinye izimila zizokoma ehlobo, zidale ingozi.
Iziphathimandla zamandla ziphakamise ukuthi abantu baseCalifornia babhalisele i- Isexwayiso se-Flex uhlelo, oluthumela imibhalo noma ama-imeyili anezixwayiso kusengaphambili zokushoda kwamandla okungenzeka.
Futhi izikhulu zeCalifornia Public Utilities Commission zithe izakhamizi zingabhalisela lolu hlelo Imiklomelo Yesilondolozi Samandla uhlelo oluhlinzeka ngekhredithi yensiza yokusetshenziswa yokunciphisa ukusetshenziswa kwamandla lapho kumenyezelwa Isexwayiso se-Flex.
Umzabalazo wokunika umbuso amandla ngesikhathi sokushisa okukhulu kube yinkinga kuHulumeni weDemocratic Alliance, u-Gavin Newsom, oseke wasusa umbuso ngamandla ezinto ezimbiwa phansi. I-California ithola amandla ayo amaningi manje emithonjeni efana nomoya nelanga. Kodwa leyo mithombo yamandla ayitholakali ngaso sonke isikhathi.
Ukugwema ukucisha ugesi ngesikhathi samagagasi okushisa, iNewsom kanye nesiShayamthetho sezwe basebenzise amaRandi ayizigidi eziyizinkulungwane ezingu-3.3 ukwakha “indawo yokugcina ukwethembeka.” Izikhulu zombuso zasebenzisa le mali ukuze zelule ukuphila kwezinye izizinda eziphehla amandla kagesi okwakuhlelelwe ukuthi ziyeke futhi zithenge amajeneretha amakhulu asebenzisa udizili. NgoSepthemba odlule, lapho ukushisa okunamandla kwenyusa isidingo sikagesi ezweni lonke ukuba sibe phezulu kakhulu, le ndawo ebekiwe yakhiqiza amandla afinyelela kwangu-1,416.
NgoLwesine, i-Newsom ikhuthaze uhlelo lombuso olubuyekeziwe lokuyisa umbuso emgomweni wawo wokuphehla ugesi ohlanzekile ngo-100% ngo-2045 noma maduze nje. Igxile emzamweni wokusheshisa ukushintshela emithonjeni yamandla evuselelekayo kuyilapho iqinisekisa ukwethembeka nokugcina izindleko ziphansi ngangokunokwenzeka.
Ukulungisa kabusha inqubo yezimvume, okuhlanganisa izinguquko emithethweni kahulumeni yezemvelo, kuyisihluthulelo somzamo, esho.
“Sidinga ukwakha, sidinga ukwenza izinto. Lokhu akuwona umsebenzi womqondo,” kusho uNewsom ngesikhathi evakashele ekomkhulu le-Moxion Power, eRichmond, eCalif, eliseduze nendawo ehluza uwoyela i-Chevron Bay Area.
Inkampani yokuqala, eyakhiwe esakhiweni esake sahlanganisa iFord Model T, yakha amaphakethe okugcina amabhethri kagesi eselula, okuhloswe ngawo ukuvala amajeneretha asebenza ngodizili. U-Moxion uthola ukwesekwa kombuso okucebile – isibonelelo esifanayo esixhaswe ngabakhokhi bentela esingu-$15-million sokwakha indawo yokugcina impahla sisalinde ukugunyazwa yiKhomishini Yamandla YaseCalifornia.
I-Newsom iphawule ukuthi ngaphezu kuka-37% wamandla kagesi esifundazweni manje avela emithonjeni yamandla avuselelekayo, okuyisibalo esikhuphukela ku-59% lapho kufakwa amandla kagesi angenazinsalela kanye namandla enuzi.
I-Associated Press ibe nesandla kulo mbiko.
