Fairbanks has been put on an energy alert after a generator failure left Golden Valley Electric Association with limited backup power. Customers are being urged to conserve electricity, and GVEA says outages could become a possibility if the situation deteriorates.

Here's what to know

According to Alaska's News Source, GVEA moved into a level-two alert and asked members to reduce their power use. At that stage, the utility had less than 15 megawatts of reserve power available, which raised the risk of interruptions if demand stayed high.

Ashley Bradish, GVEA's director of external affairs and public relations, said the co-op measures available backup power through a four-level alert system. Under that framework, level zero means normal operations, and level one starts when reserves fall below 38 megawatts.

The next step up would be level three. Bradish said that if GVEA reaches that point, it could use a controlled load-shed program that rotates 30- to 60-minute outages through parts of the utility's 13 zones.

Bradish explained, "It's not something we would choose to do. It's unfortunately a necessity to protect our grid from a larger mass blackout situation."

More background

The supply crunch began when one GVEA generation unit went offline while two others were already out for scheduled maintenance. The conservation steps the utility is requesting — putting off laundry, lowering thermostats, and using the oven less — could trim overall demand and also help customers save on electric bills.

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Bradish said new state disclosure rules prevented her from naming the failed unit or describing what caused it to go down. She added that members should be prepared for more level-one and level-two alerts as demand increases and GVEA adds new generation resources, including an LM6000 gas turbine.

What can be done?

For immediate relief, GVEA asked members to keep homes at a safe temperature in addition to conserving energy in the ways mentioned above. The utility said those small steps could reduce pressure on the grid while reserved margins remain tight.

Bradish said the level-two alert had not yet produced a meaningful change in load, so the utility could still need to use its outage plan if supply conditions get worse.

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Where can I learn more?

Grid emergencies elsewhere explore how utilities and households prepare for shortages and outages. 

• In Puerto Rico, MIT researchers have been testing an innovative blackout prevention system as outages worsen.

• Vermont's Green Mountain Power deployed battery, solar, and wind to reduce outages statewide.

• In Cuba, officials are pushing energy-efficient tech after a nationwide blackout as the grid crisis drags on.

• After Hurricane Beryl, experts warn residents that backup generators can turn deadly when homes lose power.

• In Florida, one neighborhood has been relying on a new solar microgrid to keep power flowing.

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