A combination of record high temperatures and a stressed electricity network resulted in a number of blackouts across California over the weekend, including one that hit MySpace’s Los Angeles data center. Back up generators failed, and as a result, MySpace went down on both Saturday and Sunday night.
As an aside I once worked in demand management at an electricity utillity, and the main reason that these blackouts occur is that the take up of air conditioners has out stripped the ability of the power companies to provide capacity on their networks.
On a hot afternoon, especially if it’s a weekend, everyone turns on their air conditioner and this puts a lot of load on the network. As these peak loads only occur a few times a year, it’s very difficult, and expensive, for utilities to provide the capacity needed.
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