Kalifornien ruft wegen knappen Stroms den Notstand aus - 500 Beiträge pro Seite

[RudiRich]

Welche Aktien werden hiervon profitieren?
Alternative Energien?
Astropower, Ballard, etc.?


Kalifornien ruft wegen knappen Stroms den Notstand aus

---------------------------------------------------------

Los Angeles (Reuters) - Wegen anhaltenden Strommangels hat Kalifornien am Mittwoch den Notstand ausgerufen und erstmals Teile seines Stromnetzes abgeschaltet. Gouverneur Gray Davis sagte, unter Notstandsbedingungen könne der Staat dafür sorgen, dass die Lichter anblieben. Am Donnerstag werde das Parlament über die Bereitstellung finanzieller Mittel beraten, um die Stromversorgung zumindest in der nächsten Woche sicher zu stellen. Kurz vor Mittag (Ortszeit) wurden abwechselnd Teile des Netzes abgeschaltet. Etwa 200.000 Haushalte waren betroffen. Hochtechnologiefirmen im Silicon Valley teilten mit, die Ausfälle hätten keine größeren Auswirkungen gehabt.

Ausgelöst wurde die Stromkrise dadurch, dass die beiden größten Stromversorger des Staates, Pacific Gas and Electric und Southern California Edison nach eigenen Angaben ihre Kredite bei den Stromerzeugern nicht mehr bezahlen konnten. Davis sagte, die Erzeuger hätten damit gedroht, die Schulden der Versorger bis Donnerstag einzufordern und sie damit in den Konkurs zu treiben. Seit der Liberalisierung des Strommarktes in Kalifornien 1996 sind die Strompreise stark gestiegen. Den Versorgern ist es jedoch per Gesetz verboten, die höheren Preise an die Verbraucher weiter zu geben. Die beiden Stromversorger haben etwa zwölf Milliarden Dollar (etwa 25 Milliarden Mark) Schulden.

Davis sagte, der Staat werde Geld zum Ankauf von Strom bereitstellen. Auch habe er die Wasserbehörde des Staates angewiesen, zusätzlichen Strom zu kaufen. Sie ist die größte öffentliche Stromverbraucherin in Kalifornien. Die Stromerzeuger hätten zugesagt, unter diesen Umständen den Stromversorgern nochmals einen Aufschub zu gewähren und ausreichend Strom zu liefern. Andernfalls hätten sie eine Reduktion der gelieferten Strommenge auf rund 14.000 Megawatt angekündigt. Die Menge entspricht ungefähr 45 Prozent des Stromverbrauchs von Kalifornien pro Tag. Das Notgesetz erlaubt dem Bundesstaat, Strom direkt an die etwa 24 Millionen betroffenen Kunden zu verkaufen.

Von den ersten Stromunterbrechungen war auch die Innenstadt von San Jose betroffen. Zur Mittagszeit gingen Ampeln aus und Restaurants blieben ohne Energiezufuhr. Ein Augenzeuge sagte dem örtlichen Rundfunk, als beim Überqueren der Straße die Ampel ausgefallen sei, sei sein Begleiter fast überfahren worden.

Viele Hochtechnologiefirmen im Silicon Valley griffen zeitweise auf eigene Anlagen zur Stromversorgung zurück. Ein Sprecher des Computer- und Druckerherstellers Hewlett-Packard sagte, die meisten Mitarbeiter würden in ihren Büros Möglichkeiten finden, trotz der Ausfälle weiter zu arbeiten. Zum Teil könnten sie von zu Hause aus arbeiten. Ein Sprecher des Suchmaschinen-Betreibers Alta Vista sagte, durch bereits eingeführte Energie-Sparmaßnahmen seien die Büros kühl und dunkel.

Die Energieüberwachungsbehörde ISO machte auch einen Mangel an Wasserkraft durch ausbleibenden Regen- und Schneefall sowie einen ungewöhnlich kalten Winter für den Strommangel verantwortlich. Die 34 Millionen Einwohner Kaliforniens sind bereits seit längerer Zeit von Stromengpässen betroffen. Das schnelle Bevölkerungs- und Wirtschaftswachstum des Staates haben die Versorgung überfordert. Dazu kommt, dass in Kalifornien seit zehn Jahren praktisch kein neues Kraftwerk gebaut worden ist.

[fishhawk]

Neben den FuelCells , den FlyWheels und den Solars sollte man auch Capstone Microturbines CPST beachten. Die liefern bereits aus und deren turbinen können mit den verschiedensten fossilien oder regenerativen Brennstoffen betrieben werden.

Sind die letzten Tage schon gut gelaufen, waren lange Zeit zwischen 20 und 25$ zu haben. Aktuell 37,60 $, Höchststand letztes Jahr 98 $. Aussichten werden als sehr gut eingeschätzt.

Infos über verschiedene Werte z.B. unter

http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/q?m=w&s=bldp%2Bcpst%2Bacpw%2Bene…

[RudiRich]

"Bush-Philosophy"
------------------

Hab gerade auf CNN Bush`s Meinung zur Energiekrise
in Kalifornien gehört:

Sinngemäße Übersetzung:

"So wie ich die Dinge sehe, gibt es in Kalifornien zu
strenge Umweltauflagen, die dazu führen, dass einige
Kraftwerke nicht mit voller Kapazität laufen dürfen.
Die Lösung ist doch ganz einfach. Wir müssen diese
strengen Umweltauflagen in Kalifornien lockern."

Genau das hat er gesagt! Ich sag euch Leute, dass wird
eine "Wahnsinnskanone" von Präsident. Es werden noch
Zeiten auf uns zukommen, wo wir uns erinnern werden,
wie schön es doch mit Monika Lewinski und ihrem
Präsidenten Billyboy war.

RR

[axtionaer]

Wenn Mr. Simpel vier Jahre durchhält und hier bei uns Stoiber Bundeskanzler wird, dann sind meine Umweltaktien zwar nicht mehr viel Wert, aber mein Haus mit 35 m über dem Meeresspiegel in Mecklenburg ist ein Seegrundstück.

[M-B-S]

Wenn der Oelpreis bei 50$ angelangt ist , dann ist Bush
und vielleicht auch Stoiber CO2 von gestern !

Die zweitgrößte Canadische Bank sieht Oelpreis-Krise in 2001

Umweltaktien werden explodieren !

Wers nicht wahrhaben will, sollte sich den

Global2000 report to the president ( Carter ) ,1980 !!

reinziehen !


Was meint Ihr wo ich ein Vermögen machen werde :

Umweltaktien Sonne Wind Wasser Geothermie Biomasse

Krisengewinnler ? aber Hallo ! mit sauberer Umwelt

CU

Der vierte Schritt zum Reichtum : Fachkenntnis

Napoleon Hill

[M-B-S]

Kalifornien weiterhin im Chaos: Strom gibt`s allenfalls für 60 bis 90 Minuten
Es könnte kurios sein, wenn es nicht ein so ernstes Thema wäre: Im Sonnenstaat Kalifornien heißt es mittlerweile "Ein/Aus", was die Stromversorgung angeht: Mehrere Hunderttausend Einwohner des Bundesstaates - vereinzelt gehen US-Medien sogar von bis zu zwei Millionen betroffenen Bürgern aus - mussten auch gestern wieder gezielte Stromabschaltungen im Rotationsverfahren hinnehmen, um die knapp gewordene Ressource Strom einzusparen.

"Ein/Aus" soll heißen: In Unternehmen wie in privaten Haushalten war die Stromversorgung zwischenzeitlich immer wieder für 60 bis 90 Minuten gewährleistet, dann waren wieder andere Kunden an der Reihe, wurde der Strom andernorts gezielt ausgeschaltet - außer in Flughäfen und Krankenhäusern. Es war der zweite Tag in Folge, dass derartiges passierte - und eine baldige Verbesserung, heißt es, sei nicht in Sicht. Im Gegenteil: Die Lage spitzt sich zu, da unter anderem selbst Verkehrsampeln ausgeschaltet werden müssen und der Verkehr zum erliegen kommt.

Hintergrund der Energiekrise ist die Privatisierung des kalifornischen Strommarktes, in deren Folge die Strompreise bis 2002 eingefroren wurden

Im Klartext wäre der Markt frei hätte sich der Strompreis
mehr als verzehnfacht : 2,80 DM / Kwh !!!!!!

Mehr als 3 mal soviel wie die Vergütung bei uns für PV Strom !

Was meint Ihr werden die Amis jetzt auf ihren Dächern und Kellern im Sonnenstaat Carlifornien installieren !

richtig ! autarke Stromerzeugungsanlagen

Made bei Astropower "Spire" energreen solar etc. Ballard

and cogeneration units possibly made by sunpower.com

CU

CU

[M-B-S]

January 19, 2001
California Power Crisis
Set to be First Test for Bush
by Nancy Dunne - Financial Times (UK)
California`s electricity shortage looked set to become George W. Bush`s first presidential crisis on Thursday as concerns mounted in Washington that the entire country would be caught up in the emergency. A fresh wave of blackouts hit parts of northern and central California when state officials ordered rolling outages in a bid to ease the strain on the hard-pressed power grid. Concerns about the spreading effects of the crisis dominated Thursday`s confirmation hearings of Spencer Abraham, the designated energy secretary. Republicans and Democrats from western states said their constituents were facing rising electricity costs because utilities were being forced by the energy department to divert power to California. Mr Abraham said he understood "the urgency" of the shortages but he could offer no specific solutions. He said he had not been briefed on the discussions under way in the current administration.
"We just haven`t looked at this at all," he said

Schaun wir mal Mr. President jr.

[hefer]

Hallo Leute,

vielleicht kann mir mal jemand auf die Sprünge helfen. Bei der Energiekrise in Kalifornien heisst es:

...Die Energie ist im Sonnen-Staat schon lange knapp. Seit zehn Jahren sind aus Umweltschutzgründen keine neuen Kraftwerke mehr gebaut worden, während der Strombedarf drastisch stieg. Die beiden wichtigsten Stromversorger des Bundesstaates stehen am Rande des Bankrotts.
...
Meine Frage:
Ist der Anteil an regenerativen Energien in diesem Zeitraum gestiegen in Kalifornien, oder war(ist) der Wettbewerb so stark das niemand in vermeintlich teure umweltfreundliche Energien investieren konnte.
Mir ist klar das die Energiekrise auch eine Folge einer asymmetrischen Deregulierung ist, möglicherweise hat aber doch jemand einige Zahlen für mich.

Übrigens hat sich der NY Öl-Future erstmal auf ca 32$ eingeschossen!

Hefer

[M-B-S]

US slowdown to hit oil demand
By Adrienne Roberts
Published: January 19 2001 10:14GMT | Last Updated: January 19 2001 20:03GMT



Signs of slowing growth in the US economy and their potential impact on the world economy have prompted the Paris-based International Energy Agency to cut its estimates of oil demand.

The IEA said on Friday that oil demand would be 77.3m barrels a day in 2001, compared with 75.6m in 2000. The figure was downwardly revised by 280,000b/d.

The IEA also downgraded its estimate of winter oil demand, saying that demand for the last quarter of 2000 and the first three months of 2001 would average 77.34m b/d - downwardly revising December`s report by 350,000.

World oil stocks edged up in November 2000, but were still below 1999 and 1998 levels. The 2.58bn barrels held in OECD countries was still 42m barrels less than stocks held in November 1999.

Output by the Opec countries was 27.86m b/d in December, down from 29.54m b/d a day in November. Opec resolved this week to cut production by 1.5m b/d.

Quelle FT.COM

[M-B-S]

This shows a possible scenario for a future renewable, hydrogen, fuel cell power system for a remote village. The system is autonomous, however the fossil fuel supply is used to reduce the system costs while the storage components still exhibit high costs. It is intended to mitigate risk from statistically low, long wind doldrum periods, or failures of hydrogen production that could deplete the hydrogen supply. The water condensation and recycling is only needed where local water is difficult or costly to supply. The economics for this currently favor small, high value, remote locations. The costs can compete with battery storage if the longest credible period of wind doldrum exceeds a few days. The economics also depends on:
Wind capacity factor
Peak load
Phase match between the wind source and the load

Eine deutsche Aktie hierzu : PT am neuen Markt !

[obelix007]

Wir werden noch so lange grünen Strom und grüne Aktien haben,
solange wir alle dieses Hobby weiterhin finanziell `freiwillig` durch
Sonderabgabe unterstützen müssen.

Eines schönen Tages haben wir dann nur noch grünen Strom,
aber zu sehr hohem Preis - welche Freude!

[M-B-S]

Mein Posting vom 19.01.2001Stromkrise in Kalifonien bringt Aufschwung für die Solarenergie

Nach den letzen Stromausfällen in Kalifornien erfährt die Solarindustrie einen Boom. Wie ENN worldwire news berichtet, gingen bei Solarfirmen eine große Zahl von Anfragen ein und viele Solarinstallateure seien für die nächsten Monate komplett ausgebucht. Für viele Menschen, die bereits lange über die Errichtung einer Solaranlage nachgedacht hätten, habe die Stromkrise den Ausschlag für die Realisierung einer Anlage gegeben. Für andere sei die Krise der Anlaß, sich zum ersten mal mit erneuerbaren Energien auseinander zu setzen, da die Sorge vor erneuten Stromausfällen allgegenwärtig sei.

© IWR

[steperjo]

@M-B-S
Was ist das für eine Aktie ,die Du mit PT bezeichnest!!??

[hefer]

@ steperjo

es handelt sich hierbei um P&T Technology (685280), gelistet seit Nov. am NM.

Unter http://www.pt-technology.com/ findest Du weitere Info`s oder hier in div. Threads nachschauen!!

Hefer

[M-B-S]

Während sich die Politik in der Not erfinderisch zeigt, richten sich die Menschen in Kalifornien erneut auf Stromunterbrechungen ein. Ein Vertreter der Stromversorger zeichnete gar ein düsteres Szenario in dem er sagte, die Krise könne noch mindestens zwei Jahre dauern.


2 Jahre Energiekrise !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Die Nachfrage nach autarken Solaranlagen / KWK wird
explodieren !!

[M-B-S]

Bush: No help from Washington for California power crunch

Bush meets with Cabinet members Monday to discuss California`s power crisis


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush said Monday that California`s electricity shortages should be solved "in California by Californians" as he convened a Cabinet task force to examine long-term energy policy.


Bush said his administration will examine California`s problems, but he offered little hope of federal help for the state.

"The task force that is being assembled will not only deal with the very short-run issue dealing with the West, but, obviously, the longer-term issues that will be confronting our country for a while unless we`re willing to act boldly and swiftly," Bush said. "Which we will do."

California faced a 14th day with its electrical system at the highest level of alert, with rolling blackouts possible on short notice due to electrical scarcity. But fears that large numbers of Californians tuning into Sunday`s NFL championship game would worsen the crisis never materialized.

The panel Bush announced Monday will be led by Vice President Dick Cheney and include Treasury Secretary Paul O`Neill, Commerce Secretary Don Evans and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham.

"We`re very aware in this administration that the situation in California is beginning to affect neighboring states," he added. "Western governors came to see the vice president and they came to see me, as well. And they`re deeply concerned about the situation spreading beyond the California borders, and so are we."

California`s problems have sparked some grumbling among other states in the Northwest, which are beginning to face problems of their own. A severe drought and heavy power consumption have drawn down rivers feeding hydroelectric dams that during a normal year would generate 75 percent of the region`s power.

Bush said "it`s becoming very clear" that the country needs to develop new sources of energy, and the group that met Monday would explore ways of doing that.

Seeking new sources of energy was a prominent part of Bush`s campaign, which included a controversial plan to allow oil exploration in Alaska`s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Other proposals included developing alternative sources and coaxing U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf region and Latin America to provide reliable supplies.

Since both Bush and Cheney have backgrounds in the oil industry, the proposals became the focus of criticism from the Democratic opposition.

California`s Independent System Operator, which manages most of the state power grid, said the state would remain under a Stage 3 emergency until midnight Monday. But ISO spokeswoman Lorie O`Donley said no blackouts would likely be necessary, and the system could get an additional 1,100 megawatts of power on Monday, when two units in Northern California come back on line.

Fazit : Die Krise wird uns noch länger begleiten !

Vielleicht haben die Alternativen dann eine Chance !

[M-B-S]

Ein Gigant reagiert :

USA:100.000 Solarsysteme bis 2010 in Los Angeles - Siemens Solar produziert in Los Angeles

Die Siemens Solar baut eine Solar-Modulfabrik in Chatsworth. An diesem Standort soll neben der Fabrik eine Ausstellung und ein Trainingszentrum für Installateure entstehen. Das Los Angeles Department of Power and Water (LADWP) hat ein Solarprogramm aufgelegt, dass eine Installation von PV-Anlagen auf 100.000 Hausdächern bis 2010 zum Ziel hat. Siemens profitiert davon, dass die LADWP ihren Kunden für die Installation von Solarsystemen, die in Los Angeles produziert bzw. hergestellt werden, einen deutlich höheren Zuschuss (max. $5 per Watt) gewährleistet. Durch die Modulfabrik sollen 50 neue Arbeitsplätze entstehen.

© IWR


Da haben Siemens -Manager aufgepasst ! Gratulation

[M-B-S]

Kalifornien ruft nach den alternativen Energien !

Wind Sonne Wasser Geothermie !

Geben wir sie Ihnen !

A year ago, natural gas would have seemed the logical choice for new generating capacity. But prices have soared and aren`t likely to come back down soon. Which leaves what the consumer/environmental community that opposed AB 1890 has been arguing for all along -- renewables. The most notable new Western power plant is now stringing its way along the Oregon-Washington border. It consists of 450 windmills with sufficient capacity to power 70,000 homes. With construction under way in February, electricity could be surging out by December 31, a far faster construction timetable than for any other source. The fuel supply will be cheap, stable and clean. Environmental opposition will be nil. Thanks to 15,000 windmills built in the 1980s under Governor Jerry Brown (now mayor of Oakland), California once produced 90 percent of the world`s wind power. But the big utilities wanted little to do with them. Last year the world-leader`s mantle slipped to Germany , which built the equivalent of a large reactor`s capacity in wind power. Had California done the same, things might have been different . "The message is clear, " says Coyle. "The power supply needs to be controlled by the public. And efficiency and renewables work. Do we have to go through this again to relearn those lessons?"


CU

[M-B-S]

Top Stories

Electric power interruptions curtail California oil and gas production

Sam Fletcher
Senior Writer


HOUSTON, Feb. 12—Electric power disruptions are curtailing oil and natural gas production in California, including some gas supplies for the very plants that generate electricity, industry officials said Monday.


In one incident, electric power to a gas field was interrupted in order to shift electricity to 2,000 residences. But the gas production that was curtailed by that loss of power was contracted for direct supply to a power generator that could have produced enough electricity for 4,000 homes, said John Martini, spokesman for the California Independent Petroleum Association (CIPA), in an interview with OGJ Online.


At various times, the loss of electric power in California has shut down oil and gas production in the field; its transportation through pipelines; and downstream refining and processing, he said.


No one knows for sure how much of California’s oil and gas production has been curtailed as a result of electrical power outages.


“Things are so fluid that the focus has been on addressing the issues, not studying the results, although it would be useful to look at that in the future,” said Martini. However, he said producers may be reluctant to reveal those proprietary numbers.


“Power shortages have affected every segment of business out here, but none more than the oil and gas industry,” Martini said. “Many producers have had power interruptions more than 20 times in the last 3 months. Some have already maxed out the number of times they’re supposed to be interrupted for all of 2001.”


As a result, the integrity of some wells may be damaged and production lost through the lag time in bringing production rates back up, he said.


CIPA officials are working with legislators on a state bill that would require earlier notification to interruptible customers of pending power curtailments and limit the number of hours such interruptions can extend. They also are working on legislation to prioritize critical industrial users of electricity, “so that those fueling power plants would be the last to be interrupted,” Martini said.


Industry officials also are reminding both federal and state officials that 21 tcf of proven gas reserves off the West Coast should be opened to development. “It does no good to bring new power plants on line if there is no gas to fuel them,” Martini said.


“Most of the California fields are on the cheaper interruptible power rates because historically there have been few interruptions,” said Donald Macpherson, president and CEO of Macpherson Oil Co. in Santa Monica, Calif. But interruptible customers lost their power supplies under California’s Stage 3 Power Alert during most of January, he said.


Since then, there have been rolling blackouts of electric power “mostly in northern California, because of restrictions on the movement of power from southern California to northern California,” Macpherson said.


The oil fields offshore and around Bakersfield are in southern California. “But most of the gas fields are up north,” said Macpherson.


Moreover, he said, California’s demand for electric power is “relatively low” during winter months but will increase in the summer with air-conditioning.


Even before the electric power crisis, California’s production of heavy oil had already been adversely affected by the rapid ramp-up in natural gas prices toward the end of 2000.


The industrial co-generation power units that produce steam for injection in California’s heavy oil fields are all gas fired, said Macpherson, who is active in that business. He’s seen the prices that he pays for gas rise from $3/Mcf last summer through $6/Mcf in the fall to $14/Mcf in December.


“At $14/Mcf, you have to rethink the economics for heavy oil,” he said.


Curtailment of steam production and injection can be debilitating for both the steam-flooding and the huff-and-puff methods of producing heavy oil, he said.


In addition, he said, those and other co-generation plants provide to utilities about 30% of California’s total electric supplies. But the industrial owners of those co-generation plants haven’t been paid for their power since November.


“PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.) made partial payment in January, but Edison (Electric Co.) did not pay anything,” said Macpherson, who operates co-generation facilities.


Meanwhile, he and other co-generators have been requested to keep supplying electricity to those California utilities in exchange for “a kiss and promise” that state officials will come up with some scheme to help the utilities pay those and other bills.


Some solution must be found by next week, before “the whole house of cards collapses” and lenders force the utilities into bankruptcy, Macpherson said.

Der grosse Kollabs steht bevor

Letzte Meldung : Strompreise dürfen nicht erhöht werden !

[M-B-S]

Prices leap for propane and oil

RENO, Nev. (AP) - Propane and oil users across northern Nevada have been hit with record home heating prices as winter fuel bills skyrocket along with electric and natural gas rates, officials said.

An indirect result of California`s power problems, the price of propane in Washoe County and nearby areas has jumped by as much as $1 a gallon, from about $1.30 last year to a high of $2.30 this winter.

"The highest (prices) this winter are the highest this market has ever seen," said Blair Poulsen, vice president of the Reno-based Nevada Propane Dealers Association.

For much of the winter, propane prices have ranged from $1.70 to $1.90 per gallon, he said.

Fuel oil has also climbed, to $1.53 per gallon this winter from $1.20 last year, said Annie Brown, a past president of the Nevada Oil Heat Institute.

"This has been the hardest, longest jump we`ve had," said Brown, who has been in the Reno fuel oil business for almost 30 years.

Jim and Liz Morrow, who live in the foothills on the east side of Sparks, were hit with this year`s energy cost bomb last month when they paid $494.96 to fill their propane tank - a 100 percent increase over last year.

"The last bill, we went `holy cow!"` Liz Morrow told the Reno Gazette-Journal. "I was kind of in shock.

"What can you do? You can`t go without heat," she said.

It`s the dilemma faced by thousands of propane customers, most of whom live in unincorporated areas not served by natural gas lines, and oil users, many of whom live in older homes.

Residents of Elko County and other rural areas are paying about $1.60 a gallon, up from $1.34 last winter, said Mike Eriksen, a propane dealer based in Wells and a past president of the dealer association.

"Natural gas prices just skyrocketed," Eriksen said. "Our prices just followed natural gas prices up."

Propane is a byproduct of oil refining and natural gas production. Eriksen, who gets much of his propane from Utah and Wyoming, said the price of propane in Washoe County, which gets much of its supply from California, has been driven higher by California`s energy crisis.

Nevada propane dealers say the sharp increases in the price of natural gas has prompted large companies across the county, including oil refineries, to switch to propane to run their plants.

That`s driving up the price of propane.

"Consumers like your everyday domestic customers, because of the natural gas shortage, are competing with huge industrial customers," Poulsen said.

That has increased the demand for propane, but supplies have not kept up, industry experts said.

[M-B-S]

Rolling blackouts ordered in California
March 19, 2001
Web posted at: 4:34 p.m. EST (2134 GMT)

SACRAMENTO, California (CNN) -- The managers of California`s power grid ordered rolling blackouts Monday for the first time since January in the state`s continued power crisis.


The rolling blackouts were called after officials issued a Stage 3 power alert, a spokeswoman for the California Independent System Operator said.

Officials with the ISO, keeper of the state`s electricity grid, said higher demand combined with a lack of electricity from the Northwest prompted the alert.

The ISO ordered the state`s two biggest utility companies, Pacific Gas and Electric and Southern California Edison, to cut a total of 500 megawatts of electricity, enough power for roughly 500,000 homes.

The outages were split between Northern and Southern California, said ISO spokeswoman Stephanie McCorkle. She said warmer temperatures led to the higher demand, as people begin using air conditioners.

The power grid last ordered rolling blackouts January 17 and 18 across Northern California, affecting more than 675,000 homes and businesses for more than two hours at a time. Hospitals and airports were exempt.

Bush setzt auf Gas und Oel ! Unglaublich

Im Sonnenstaat

[flussaufwerz]

kalifornien wieder ohne strom
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010319/pl/bush_energy_dc_9…

[M-B-S]

California could see power bills up 50 percent

March 24, 2001
Web posted at: 8:14 AM EST (1314 GMT)


SACRAMENTO, California (AP) -- The state`s power purchases for two struggling utilities could cost $23 billion by the end of next year, leaving customers paying as much as 50 percent more for electricity, The Associated Press has learned.

State officials told several key legislators Friday that the state`s efforts to help credit-poor Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. could hit $23 billion by 2003, a legislative source told the AP on condition of anonymity. That`s far more than lawmakers and Gov. Gray Davis estimated when they approved legislation authorizing the state`s power purchases.

At the time, they projected they would need $10 billion in revenue bonds to buy power for the two utilities over a decade. The bonds would be repaid by the utilities` customers over several years.

Davis has said repeatedly he is confident the state`s power crisis can be resolved without further rate hikes, but the source said cabinet secretary Susan Kennedy, Finance Director Tim Gage and Deputy Chief of Staff John Stevens all warned lawmakers that customers` rates would have to be raised at least 50 percent to cover the new projections.

That increase would come on top of a 9 percent to 15 percent increase the Public Utilities Commission approved in January, as well as an additional 10 percent increase already scheduled for next year.

Davis spokesman Steve Maviglio confirmed that Kennedy spoke with top Democrats on Friday but declined to elaborate.

The source said the calculations were by the administration, not the PUC, which would have to implement any rate increases. Lawmakers weren`t told over what time frame such an increase would need to be implemented, the source said.

Consumer advocate Harvey Rosenfield of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights promised a rebellion at the ballot box in 2002 if rates continued to rise.

"If this goes through, this is the beginning of the ratepayers` revolt," he said.

The PUC is expected on Tuesday to address how customer rates will be divided between the state and the utilities.

SoCal Edison and PG&E both have pushed for rate increases, and PG&E has said its current rates would be insufficient to cover its bills and the state`s. Both say they`ve lost more than $13 billion since summer due to high wholesale electricity costs that California`s 1996 deregulation law prevents them from collecting from their customers.

PG&E`s and Edison`s credit was cut off by electricity wholesalers in January, and the state has been spending $40 million to $50 million a day since then to keep the lights on for their customers -- about $4.2 billion in taxpayer money so far.

State Controller Kathleen Connell warned this week that the state`s power-buying is gutting California`s budget surplus and putting the state at financial risk. Wall Street has also been wary. The Standard & Poor`s credit-rating agency put the state on a credit watch "with negative implications" when the power purchases began.

California has faced an energy crunch for months, fueled by high natural gas prices, soaring wholesale electricity costs and a tight power supply due in part to California plant maintenance and scarce hydroelectric power in the Pacific Northwest.

The Assembly on Friday opened hearings into the skyrocketing natural gas costs that will include an investigation into whether market manipulation helped drive up prices.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. customer Gladys Cook of Sacramento told the committee her natural gas bill rose from about $50 a month last year at this time to $344 in February and $112 this month.

"It was just a terrific shock, especially after the Christmas holiday and everything," she said.

Natural gas that sells for $5.25 elsewhere sells for nearly $30 at the California border, said Assemblyman Darrell Steinberg, chairman of the Assembly Energy Oversight Subcommittee.

The cities of Los Angeles and Long Beach filed lawsuits this week accusing several gas companies of conspiring to drive up prices by limiting supply. The lawsuits say the companies decided in a Phoenix hotel room in 1996 to block construction of gas pipelines that could have helped the state avoid its power crisis.

Rick Morrow, vice president of customer service for Southern California Gas Co., denied executives at the meeting were conspiring to drive up gas prices.

"There was no mystery to the meeting," he said. "What is being alleged is absolutely false."



50% Kostensteigerung !

30 $ Wahnsinn die regenerativen Energie Aktien werden explodieren trotz oder wegen Bush !

APWR Spir etc.

[M-B-S]

Internetprovider in den USA setzt auf Solarenergie
Das Internet-Unternehmen „SolarHost“ in Warrenton, Virginia (USA), hat bereits vor einem Jahr die Stromerzeugung selbst in die Hand genommen und so technischen Problemen vorgebeugt, die während der Energiekrise in Kalifornien auftraten. Dort blieben im Januar hunderttausende von Menschen für einige Stunden ohne Strom. Der Gouverneur von Kalifornien, Gray Davies, hatte damals den Notstand ausgerufen. Grund für die Krise war, dass die beiden größten Stromversorger des Staates, Pacific Gas and Electric und Southern California Edison ihre Kredite bei den Erzeugern nicht mehr bezahlen konnten.

Schon im März letzten Jahres hat SolarHost eine Reihe von Photovoltaik-Anlagen in Betrieb genommen, um die Zuverlässigkeit der Stromversorgung zu erhöhen. Nach einem Jahr zieht das Unternehmen eine positive Bilanz: Die Solarmodule liefern SolarHost ungefähr 40 Prozent mehr Energie als benötigt, der überschüssige Strom wird in das regionale Stromnetz eingespeist. 75 Unternehmen aus dem Umweltbereich sind inzwischen mit ihren Web-Sites zu dem Solar-Provider umgezogen. Laut Steven Mai, Geschäftsführer von SolarHost, könnte ein Grund für die große Resonanz des Servers in seiner Zuverlässigkeit liegen: SolarHost sei seit März 2000 insgesamt nur elf Minuten ausgefallen, und dies hauptsächlich wegen Service-Arbeiten. Deshalb hätten auch viele Unternehmen aus anderen Wirtschaftsbereichen ihre Webseiten SolarHost anvertraut.


06.04.2001 Quelle: WIRE / ISES


Gut !