Upcoming mandatory stoppage of all natural gas appliances in houses.

[drcampbell]

I would not assume that hydro would already be running and supplying the base load. There's only so much water available; I assume they save it for the hours of peak demand.

The water level in Lake Mead is currently low enough that Hoover Dam may soon stop producing electricity altogether.

All the emphasis on spinning reserve (and non-spinning reserve) neglects to consider the possibility of interruptible consumption. Nothing's more interruptible than battery charging -- it can stop consuming power ¹/₁₂₀ of a second after receiving the message. (via the Internet of Things) The more interruptible consumption present, the less spinning reserve required.

 

[kwired]

I would not assume that hydro would already be running and supplying the base load. There's only so much water available; I assume they save it for the hours of peak demand.

The water level in Lake Mead is currently low enough that Hoover Dam may soon stop producing electricity altogether.

All the emphasis on spinning reserve (and non-spinning reserve) neglects to consider the possibility of interruptible consumption. Nothing's more interruptible than battery charging -- it can stop consuming power ¹/₁₂₀ of a second after receiving the message. (via the Internet of Things) The more interruptible consumption present, the less spinning reserve required.

Hydro is fairly capable of quick increase of production, presuming not already at/near max capacity, that there is sufficient water available, and that for other environmental reasons you are able to use that water.

Many the Missouri river dams I don't think the water passing through the power plant is as much of a concern as when they open/close the flood control gates bypassing the power plant - most of the time anyway.