What Do Red and Yellow Alerts Mean for Electricity Grids?
Know when to expect brownouts.
(SPOT.ph) As the Philippines faces intense heat in the 40° to 42° range, everyone is cranking up the air coolers—turns out the power plants are feeling the heat just as much too.
Yesterday, April 16, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) declared red and yellow alerts in Luzon and Visayas, respectively, as several power plants were either offline or running at a reduced capacity. Both island groups will remain under yellow alert from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. on April 17.
Naturally, a high heat index will push the demand for power. It’s gotten to the point where the Department of Energy (DOE) is urging the public to minimize the use of electricity, including “turning off lights, unplugging appliances when not in use, and avoiding the use of high-energy consuming devices such as aircon.”
“While we continue to monitor and ask our power plant operators to work on restoring full operations, we can maximize our energy efficiency efforts as we go through this period of extreme heat. Flexible work arrangements and other conservation measures would also be helpful. The extremely high temperatures have been affecting the operations of power plants in the grid,” DOE Secretary Raphael Lotilla said in a statement.
Also read: Brownout? Here's How to Know You're Not Alone in Misery
Yellow alerts, red alerts: What do they mean?
The NGCP issues grid alerts to signal power supply issues.
Alerts are preventive measures allowing the NGCP and other stakeholders to manage power resources more effectively to prevent widespread power outages. Reducing electricity usage can also help stabilize the grid.
However, there is also what NGCP calls white alert, which means that there is sufficient power supply. This is no longer announced to the public as it is essentially status quo.
Yellow alert
This is issued when the reserve power (the buffer between the available supply and the demand) falls below the required level, but the supply is still sufficient to meet the current demand.
A yellow alert does not necessarily mean there will be power interruptions—it just indicates that the power reserves are thinner than usual. If any generator goes offline unexpectedly, there could be problems.
Red alert
This is a more severe warning that is issued when the power supply cannot meet the demand or when reserves are critically low. During a red alert, there is a higher risk of rotating brownouts because the grid does not have enough backup power to manage any further loss in supply.
During this time, vital institutions like hospitals, trains, airports, and public stations are given priority for the power supply.
Also read: Be Brownout-Ready With This Mini Power Station for Under P4,000