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Power Outages In San Francisco By Rektoverso.be

Luxury condos were recently constructed on Treasure Island and neighboring Yerba Buena Island — a natural hilly island attached to Treasure Island. Initially, these condos were connected to the same power lines as Treasure Island residents and, therefore, shared the same blackouts. To stabilize the condo’s electricity, TIDA swiftly approved a new power line that bypassed Treasure Island’s long standing inhabitants. It split the two communities in half, electrically redlining existing residents.

Lack of Political Will Keeps Treasure Island Residents in the Dark

In 2021, based on text notifications received from AlertSF alone, I estimate a minimum of 20 hours of power outages on Treasure Island, more than double the 8-hour average cumulative outage duration in the US in 2020 according to the EIA. There were three distinct outages in the first half of April alone. That’s people unable to work, children unable to attend virtual lessons, food spoiling, and oxygen machines stopped. I couldn’t help but wonder, why is a neighborhood that’s part of affluent San Francisco so prone to losing power?

Despite Upgrades, Treasure Island Power Outages Persist

This year’s outages each lasted between about two and 10 hours, city records show. Treasure Island has experienced 122+ power outages in last eight years, according to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

Treasure Island’s Power Problems Won’t End With the Flip of a Switch

Electric grid upgrades in SF’s most isolated neighborhood herald massive redevelopment. But the first new line bypasses current islanders, who just want the lights to stay on.

Treasure Island Residents Report Ongoing Disruptive Power Outages

Residents on Treasure Island live with frequent power outages, even after some repairs to the aging power grid have been made, said resident Barklee Sanders.

Sanders, who moved to the island two years ago from transitional housing, has been researching and advocating for infrastructure improvements. According to Sanders, Treasure Island has experienced more than 450+ power outages in the last 25 years, with the average blackout lasting about five hours. Disruptions from power outages include sewage backflow and opportunistic burglars who know to expect outages, he said.

“I just think most people just truly don’t understand the amount of power outages and the effects of it in general,” Sanders said. “It’s a systemic infrastructure problem.”

Treasure Island Suffers Eighth Power Outage of 2020,

Highlighting Need for 'Back-Up Batteries'

On August 16th, Treasure Island had its eleventh power outage of 2020. Now that we're all at the mercy of our modern-day niceties (Wifi, cable, etc.), this recent power outage highlights the need to pursue a back-up plan for Treasure Island.

Two neighborhood restaurants, Mersea and Aracely Cafe, were broken into during a power outage on August 8th, according to their Instagrams. In addition to sewage backups, fried electronics and food spoilage, break-ins are also a consequence of the island’s regular blackouts. 

Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island Get a Power System Upgrade

After years of recurring power outages on Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island, city authorities upgraded the power infrastructure to improve reliability and shorten repair times. Unfortunately, the upgrade did not improve the outages as hoped. Within thirty days of the implementation of the upgrade, there were four more power outages.

San Francisco Chronicle

Treasure Island keeps losing power. How will San Francisco fix it?

Nova Scotia Power - Battery Storage

The next wave of cutting-edge technology is home battery storage.

Treasure Island Residents Deal With Latest Power Outage

TREASURE ISLAND (CBS SF) — People living on Treasure Island may not have been affected by the recent PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoffs, but some residents on Wednesday were still without electricity following the latest outage.