The California Independent System Operator (ISO) launched a 2021 Summer Readiness webpage to help the public understand the August 2020 outages. The webpage offers quick access to data and reports as well as provides the causes and recent evaluations of the rotating power outages implemented in August.

It includes updates on actions and initiatives to protect and ensure reliable system operations and is housed on the caiso.com website. Additionally, the webpage serves to monitor the outages’ impact to reinforce grid reliability and help prepare for next summer’s weather.

“We are committed to providing the public with the most comprehensive and up-to-date information on the challenges the system faced this past summer, and the steps we are taking to lessen the impacts of heat-related stress on the grid,” said Elliot Mainzer, president and CEO of the ISO.

In a preliminary root cause analysis conducted by ISO, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the California Energy Commission (CEC) found that extreme heat, compounded by inadequate resource planning, combined to create supply gaps.

Mainzer states that ISO is coordinating with the Governor’s office and other state agencies to make improvements that will “protect grid reliability going into another potentially very hot summer.”