If summer blackouts arrive as predicted, enterprising Valley residents will be ready with lanterns, grills and even generators. The statement from the California Independent System Operator, or ISO, clarifies little for residents, business owners and government bureaucrats, many of whom are already worried and preparing for the worst.
Nobody knows yet.
But experts have numbers and guesses about the power grid. California's combined anticipated electricity shortages for June, July, August and September would light almost 7 million homes, says the projection from ISO engineers, who will decide when rolling blackouts begin. It could mean more than 80 hours of rolling blackouts over more than 30 days, compared with the 14 hours of blackouts over four days so far this year, according to experts ranging from utility account managers to academics to private consultants. There are 14 customer blocks, allowing the utility to take down power to one block at a time. No one is sure how many days a week or a month people might experience the blackouts.