The Eclipse Is Here: Save Energy

Never stopped to think about the effect the eclipse could have on solar energy.  Her our some ideas from our boss at work:

Dear County Employees,

On August 21st, the first total solar eclipse visible in the contiguous United States since 1979 will temporarily darken skies across the country. In California, the eclipse will impact energy supply by reducing solar energy supplies for more than two hours, and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is asking for our help.

Government buildings and other facilities are significant users of electricity. With that in mind, the CPUC is requesting local governments across California to join the State Government in drastically reducing its power consumption between 9 a.m. and 11: 30 a.m. on Monday, August 21st. The less energy those facilities consume, the less additional unclean power needs to be generated. As less sunlight falls onto the Golden State, one of our greatest sources of “clean” power [solar] will see its output fall significantly.

The good news is that our Facilities teams here at the County have already been doing projects to reduce energy consumption at our buildings through lighting retrofits, recommissioning heating and air conditioning, and general ongoing maintenance.  Nonetheless, they may raise temperature set points a little and reduce lighting where there is little or no impact to operations or services.

Additionally, to reduce the anticipated additional demands on the electric grid, we are asking employees to help shave energy use in our County facilities on August 21^st, between 9 – 11:30 a.m.

The following are actions you can take to shave energy while at work:

1. Use and operate your laptops on battery
2. Do not charge any electronics during the eclipse
3. Turn off desktop CPUs and monitors when not in use
4. Turn off unnecessary lighting in your work area
5. Unplug appliances vampire loads such as TV monitors, electronic chargers, etc.
6. Avoid running toasters, microwaves, etc.
7. Also make sure you are as unplugged as possible at your home even if you are at work.

Thank you for your continued commitment to our environment and consideration to take part in this effort. We encourage you to take the pledge now at CALECLIPSE.ORG .

Jeffrey V. Smith M.D., J.D.

County Executive