GUIDE: Brownouts and Red, Yellow Electricity Supply Alerts
(SPOT.ph) Luzon residents, prepare for brownouts after the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines released red and yellow alert status this Monday, November 28.
The Luzon grid, which covers 74% of the country's total power demand and supplies electricity from the Ilocos provinces in the north to the Bicol region south of Luzon, will be placed on red and yellow alerts during these hours due to limited power supply:
Red Alert
5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Yellow Alert
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Also read:Â GUIDE: How to Report Power Outages to Meralco
Why are brownouts happening?
Simply put, brownouts happen when the power supply is not enough to meet the demand.
According to the NGCP, six power plants are on forced outage today, while three others are running on derated or decreased capacity.
When this happens, privately-owned NGCP, which links power generators to distribution utilities, announces alert notices:
- White alert means there is sufficient supply
- Yellow alert means power reserves are low
- Red alert means power is insufficient, resulting in rotational brownouts or manual load dropping
When red alert is raised, brownouts are expected except in vital institutions like hospitals, trains, airports, public stations which are prioritized for power demand due to their services.
To lower demand, Meralco told those at home to clean their electric fans to avoid overworking the fan motor and to keep their aircon units at the optimum temperature of 25 degrees Celsius or medium setting as it consumes less electricity.
