Catch Some Z’s

The Constancy of Uncertainty

I started this week’s edition in my hotel room while staying in Veracruz, Mexico. The Mexican trade association that I initiated in 2017 held its…
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TMI iS TMI

The season’s first cloudburst suddenly hit southern California this week, but it was short-lived. Barely twenty minutes in total. Nonetheless, the sound of falling drops…
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Atonement Loves Company

This week until yesterday in Southern California the summer heat lingered, dawdled, and encamped like an unwelcome house guest. The few wildfires that re-erupted in…
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Let A Smile Be Your Umbrella

My grandson William Isaac Ackerman turned 1 last Sunday. My son and his wife hosted a videoconference for me so I could do my baby…
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Why, Oh Why, Oh Why, Oh

You can take the boy out of Ohio but sooner or later he goes back to visit. I did so this week, and it recharged…
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Beware the 6th of September

Two years ago this week, the CAISO along with its neighboring balancing authorities in the West suffered a heat storm that caused quite a commotion….
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Close Calls and Far Off Dreams

The Burrito is written for intellectual stimulation. Why, then, the dry humor and stale stories? Oh, it’s to give your brain some relief from the…
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Half Time

Summer is officially here. Today is when the North Pole is tilted closest to the sun, resulting in the longest day of the year. The…
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As the Paint Dries

The chill and wet weather up to last weekend suddenly turned like clockwork and it became arid and warm. Yep, it’s time to start sprinkling…
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Memora.i.l Da.i.

Monday will be Memorial Day to honor and remember the men and women who have died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. The holiday…
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Hey Hey Mama

Our beloved 13-year old Halley’s Comet eased into the afterworld earlier this week. Her options became obvious … either let her starve and be in…
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Tu Two Tambien

Seasonal atmospheric rivers have landed in Southern California this week. The doom-and-gloom media stories have turned from “not enough rain” to “too much rain.” Whatever…
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Yes, There is a Renewables Claus

Every December since 1998 when I began writing the Friday Burrito, I wondered how time passed so quickly. I was writing the January issue and…
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The Null Bull Hypothesis

For some of us the annual ramp-down from work-a-day to break time is on full tilt in anticipation of the upcoming holidays. On the other…
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The Great COP Out

I hope that y’all had a glorious Thanksgiving holiday last week. Sports enthusiasts in my home state of Ohio suffered a dismal football weekend post…
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I’ll Tell You No Lies

The seasonal winter rains have started in Southern California. Perfect timing because I didn’t want to water our lawn, nor did I fancy helping my…
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Ask Me No Questions

I dedicate today’s Burrito to the men and women who protect our country as members of the military. It would be nice if troops, ammo,…
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As The World Shakes

DIY front-yard Halloween decos are the new sensation. Some of our neighbors have created elaborate spooky scenery including 13’-tall monster statues that light up and…
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Somewhere Over the Roomba

There is a reason I ramble on about geopolitical disruptions. They shape our thinking and question our beliefs about justice and civility amongst humans ……
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Count The Blessings

You knew today’s masthead picture was coming. You didn’t think I’d pass on the opportunity to introduce my first grandson, William Isaac Ackerman. Born on…
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The Looney and the Huntsman

Today is my grandson’s birthday. I don’t know his name yet. I haven’t even seen his picture. I haven’t heard him wail aloud. I haven’t…
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Time Again to Repair the World

Tonight is the beginning of the Jewish New Year. For me, it marks the passage of time in a nostalgic way. Most of myimmediate family…
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Progress by One Mistake at a Time

Two weeks absent from Burrito writing and I must remind myself how to start. I could talk about what I did over the last fortnight…
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Make it Real Compared to What?

My 36-year-old son informed me that my grandfathering status has been moved up three weeks. My daughter-in-law has a delivery complication for which the doctors…
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THere Must Be Some Way Out OF Here

July is Busting Out All Over As Burrito readers know, each month since last December I have been tracking year-over-year energy output of theCAISO natural…
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Year Over Year

The summer seasonal heat arrived without much fanfare. The weather has been pleasantly sub-normal until last weekend. The only weather-related alarm I received last week…
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Tied Up in Nots

Time to Get Real. With the CAISO past the quarter century mark, it is time to assess the progress made toward regional expansion. Although I…
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The deck is stacked

With California’s heathy appetite for renewables and the shortage of energy and capacity, as demonstrated last August, one might ask why generation development is not…
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It’s time for a serious overhaul

Despite tremendous efforts taken by the ISO, State agencies and other stakeholders to prevent energy and capacity shortfalls like we saw in August 2020, the…
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Not Again!

The year 2020 might feel like nothing we have experienced before, but to many of us seasoned grid operators, it felt like déjà vu when…
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