Photo by Mike Lamb Marshall Municipal Utilities’ substation on Saratoga Street is a visible part of the city’s electrical system.

MARSHALL — The operator of the power grid in much of the Midwest has warned that hot days and high electrical demand could possibly lead to rotating blackouts this summer.

So far it hasn’t come to that point in Marshall, but Marshall Municipal Utilities is encouraging residents to keep an eye out for possible energy alerts.

“This is still a notice. It’s not an actual alert,” said MMU General Manager David Schelkoph.

He stressed that right now, MMU’s operations are normal. He said the utility is taking precautions by educating the public, and there are plans in place to alert people to cut back on electric use if needed.

“We’re going to do our best to get out in front of this,” he said.

The possibility of forced power outages this summer was raised by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO).

“They’re responsible for coordinating all the (power) generation and transmission in this area,” Schelkoph said. MISO’s service area covers parts of a dozen states, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and the Dakotas.

Based on a study of several different factors, MISO projected it could possibly face a shortfall of electric capacity this summer, Schelkoph said. During hotter than normal weather, there could be greater demand on the power grid.

At the same time, there are more intermittent power supplies like wind and solar energy on the grid, and fewer fossil-fuel power plants that would normally help “bridge the gap” to meet energy demands, he said.

MISO has a three-level system of emergency energy alerts it will use to let electric utilities know if there is a risk of an energy supply shortage, Schelkoph said. The alert system doesn’t start to directly affect consumers until the second level. At that level, MMU could be asked to turn on its own generator to help support the power grid. MMU will also notify customers to reduce their energy usage to help lessen the demand on the regional grid, he said.

At the most severe level of the energy alert system, electric utilities may have rolling blackouts to lighten the load on the power grid. MMU has been told that a blackout would only last two to four hours if it happens, Schelkoph said. At the same time, MMU would also work to make sure that affected parts of town would only lose electricity for a short period of time, he said.

“We’re going to mitigate as much as possible for our customers,” Schelkoph said.

MMU has come up with some different ways to let Marshall residents know if an energy alert is in place. Different measures include radio messages, newsletter updates for residential customers, and social media, Schelkoph said.

One tool MMU created is a colored gauge that can be seen on the utility’s website. Right now, the gauge is in a green zone, for normal electrical grid conditions. If the gauge rises to the yellow “Alert” stage, MMU will notify the public to cut back on energy use. In the red “Emergency” stage, there may be controlled power outages in Marshall.

While Marshall isn’t facing an energy emergency right now, Schelkoph said it’s still helpful for residents to conserve electricity. He recommended taking steps like adjusting thermostats to use less air conditioning, closing curtains or window blinds to help block out heat, and not using appliances like stoves, washers or dryers until later in the evening when there’s less energy demand. Using less hot water can also help conserve electricity if your home has an electric water heater, he said.

“It doesn’t seem like much, but what we all do together makes a difference,” Schelkoph said.

Marshall residents can get updates on energy alerts by following MMU on Facebook, or by signing up for CodeRed emergency alerts on their cell phones, Schelkoph said.

Marshall residents can sign up for emergency notifications online at http://ci.marshall.mn.us/em.