Pacific Gas and Electric Customers Hit by Record Blackout

  United States, Arizona, Lake Havasu City - 10/09/2019 (PRESS RELEASE JET)

Utility Cuts Power to Prevent Wildfires and Keep Residents Safe—Governor Gavin Newsom

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, California’s largest electric utility, shut off power to over 520,000 customers in response to red flag warnings issued with the high winds and warm, arid conditions. The first phase began early Wednesday morning with a second phase scheduled for about noon on Wednesday which could impact another 235,000 customers. The largest planned blackout in California history comes as the utility works to mitigate the risk of fires caused by distribution lines and equipment. PG&E expects the outage to impact thirty-four counties.

The Camp Fire in November 2018 took 85 lives, destroyed 14,000 homes, and ravaged 150,000 acres of land. Pacific Gas and Electric equipment failure caused the wildfire and took the blame for other fires in 2017 and 2018. Lawsuits and damage claims caused the company to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 2019.

Travis LaVallie at Norwall PowerSystems said that until PG&E updates its distribution equipment, the utility’s customers would continue to experience blackouts. Norwall (www.norwall.com) is an online retailer of standby generator systems for homes and businesses.

Standby generators feature automatic operation during a power outage. A permanent connection to the home or business electrical system through an automatic transfer switch guarantees safe operation. They run on propane or natural gas through outages lasting days or even weeks.

The company can ship from their inventory of in-stock standby generators in 1-2 days.

California governor Gavin Newsom defended the PG&E’s decision to cut power for the third time in two months. “The reality is that we want to protect people. We want to make sure people are safe. This is what PG&E thinks is in the best interest of their customers and ultimately for this region and the state.”

Some customers rely on portable generator power during an outage. Portables don’t produce as much power, don’t work automatically, and require setup and connection and frequent refueling. The best connection option is a manual transfer switch with a plug and cord that connect directly to the generator. Safety is a concern and residents must follow specific portable generator safety rules and warnings by the manufacturer.

Future blackouts are likely to occur as PG&E considers various solutions to fix and upgrade its aging distribution grid. Upgrades are expensive and fixes often put off the real solution until a future failure. Differing political, economic, and ecological factions, each with their own agenda, further complicate the issue. Until PG&E digs deep and finds a way to satisfy everyone, customers use generators to keep the lights on and the refrigerators cold.

About Norwall PowerSystems

Norwall PowerSystems, established in 1997, specializes in the sale of emergency backup power generators and outdoor power equipment. Norwall stocks 1000s of standby generators, portable generators, automatic transfer switches, and replacement parts in multiple warehouses throughout the US for immediate shipment. With over 75 years of combined experience in the electrical and power plant arenas, sales staff provide courteous and knowledgeable service to customers by listening, taking notes, and providing information in a timely manner. Regular, factory-sponsored training keeps staff up to date on new products. Now in business over 20 years, Norwall has shipped a quarter-million generators.