Cisco Systems said about a dozen of its buildings suffered blackouts, but those were mostly office buildings. Critical facilities, such as data centers, have backup generators. Solectron spokesman Bob Kula said two facilities in Milpitas went without power for two hours Monday, and another for 15 minutes. The company is thinking about buying backup power generation or moving some manufacturing operations out of state ahead of this summer's potential high energy demands, but it has not yet decided what to do. Part of the trouble in planning is that the company can't yet be sure how bad the summer will be.
Several efforts are under way to conserve power and minimize summer blackouts.
The latest involves outfitting businesses with technology that allows the independent system operator to dim lights, adjust thermostats and take other measures during power alerts. The ISO will pay businesses for energy saved. The installation should save eight megawatts of electricity, enough to power 6,000 homes. Not everyone thinks the governor is doing enough. The California Manufacturers and Technology Association is trying to focus attention on what they say is the need for more generation facilities.