Electricity

We asked children in front of Chuck E. Cheese on Harbor Boulevard in Costa Mesa: Where does electricity comes from? I don't know. MACIE DAY, 3 Costa Mesa The poles. The electric poles. ASHER KANE, 7 Costa Mesa The power station. RYAN LOBATO, 7 Costa Mesa It comes from where my granddad works. TAN MICHAEL, 3 Costa Mesa Wires, because they come through wires. CHASE MURPHY, 6 Costa Mesa The sun. Because the sun gives light and if we didn't have the sun, there wouldn't be any light.

Southern California Edison is preparing a section of the Balboa Peninsula for underground utilities and plans to shut off electricity from E Street to the end of the peninsula between 2 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. Power may be turned off more than once during the stoppage. Mike Reicher

Noaki Schwartz NEWPORT BEACH -- Southern California Edison is asking customers to conserve energy, warning that its operating reserves are at less than 5% because of businesses and residents trying to stay cool in the soaring summer temperatures. "Air conditioners present a large load of the problem -- about 25%," said Donna Boston, Newport Beach's emergency services coordinator. "I guess that would mean should the demand increase even further, they would have to institute blackout."

I recently toured the National Fuel Cell Research Center at UC Irvine, the leading fuel cell research facility nationwide. The widespread availability of this technology in the future would greatly benefit California’s economic vitality and help it become energy independent. The increase in the state’s population and electricity usage are outpacing our capacity to produce electricity. We urgently need to develop alternative sources of electrical energy. Another issue facing the state stems from our importing 16% of our electricity from out-of-state coal-fired power plants.

Sen. Tom Harman (“UCI research center leads fuel cell frontier,” Nov. 16), writes, “In the near future, Californians may be able to purchase fuel cells for use in their homes.” In this regard, UCI does in fact state on its pertinent website that “Individual California residents may be able to purchase fuel cells for their homes in the near future.” Notwithstanding, UCI goes on to state, “However, it is unlikely that anyone will ever have a fuel cell in their back yard for personal use.” Interestingly, UCI also describes a hybrid technology that sends hot exhaust gas vented from electricity producing fuel cells to a turbine, thereby generating additional electricity.

Thousands of Newport-Mesa residents were temporarily without electricity late Tuesday and early Wednesday when an overnight thunderstorm shook electrical transformers and caused some intersection signals to malfunction. By Wednesday afternoon, only a few hundred throughout Orange County were left without power, and all of it was expected to be restored by nightfall, according to representatives from Southern California Edison. But overnight, the situation was worse. Edison officials had told police up to 3,000 Newport Beach residents lost electricity, police said.

Young Chang Ask an average child where electricity comes from and that child will likely say "the light switch." Ask an above-average child where electricity comes from and the answer will probably be "the sun." Past interviews and question-answer sessions about electricity with children have yielded such answers. In a time of energy crises and commercials that urge viewers to flex their power, leaders at South Coast Repertory understand the need to educate children about conserving energy.

Small fire causes restaurant to close A minor electrical fire caused the Newport Rib Company to shut down for the night, Costa Mesa fire officials said. Firefighters arrived at the restaurant in the 2100 block of Harbor Boulevard to find a few decorative lights on the roof of the building smoking, Fire Battalion Chief Keith Fujimoto said. "There was a small fire on the roof," he said. "But we were able to put it out very soon." The estimated damage on the structure was about $200, but the restaurant decided to close for the night because the fire department had to shut down gas and electricity, Fujimoto said.

Mathis Winkler NEWPORT-MESA -- It's just not good enough. In simple terms, that's the local response to the cures for California's ongoing energy crisis Gov. Gray Davis outlined in a speech Thursday. When you set aside long-term solutions such as additional power plants, electricity rate increases of up to 34.5% won't avoid rolling blackouts, said Richard Luehrs, the president and chief executive officer of the Newport Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce.

Electric power is being generated and delivered today exactly the same way it was when the industry was created more than 120 years ago. There has been virtually no progress. Electricity is generated by burning coal, natural gas, fuel oil, etc., for a gigantic generator that sends its power over scores of wires to hundreds of customers. A breakdown, therefore, affects hundreds of households at a time. Compare that to the automobile industry, which has seen immense progress since it started more than 100 years ago. The 2003 model Buick is light years better than the 1903 model Buick.

Newport Beach firefighters responded to 20 emergency calls Sunday, including a multivehicle collision and residential fires. Firefighters went to a crash about 3:46 p.m. Sunday on Jamboree Road involving multiple vehicles, according to a news release from the Newport Beach Fire Department. One person was transported to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, although the patient's condition was unknown as of Monday. A smoking oven about 30 minutes later sent firefighters to Balboa Island, where an apartment in the 300 block of Marine Avenue was filled with smoke, according to the release.

COSTA MESA - Were he still alive today, James Dean may have been a rebel with a "green" cause had he cruised the open highways in a 550 Porsche Spyder all-electric replica. The sleek, semi-automatic, fiberglass vehicle powered by two lithium-ion batteries - one in the front and one in the rear, which provides additional stability though equal-weight distribution - is the newest all-electric roadster launched by South Coast Electric Cars. The dealership held a grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday afternoon, with public and city officials present.

NEWPORT BEACH — Mariners Elementary School second-graders came up with answers for who "invented" electricity — Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Edison, they responded — but the question turned out to be a trick. A learning trick, that is. "But you guys, nobody invented electricity," said Alicia Kercheville, speaker for Science on the Go. "Electricity has always been here. " Mariners hosted Science on the Go, a mobile program that gives hands-on science lessons to students around Southern California, so each grade level can get an extra lesson on electricity.

COSTA MESA – Most car buyers have anxiety before they make a purchase. Is it the best deal? A set of wheels with good resale value? In Costa Mesa this weekend, a group of buyers and a new car dealer have a whole new set of concerns. As they await the arrival of the Nissan Leaf, the nation's first affordable, mass-produced all-electric vehicle, buyers ponder its obsolescence. And for at least one dealer, it's the uncertainty that comes with selling and servicing a new technology.

Eco-conscious travel is about to become a lot easier. Beginning as early as January, electric cars will be available at the nation's two largest auto rental companies. Enterprise Rent-A-Car, North America's largest car rental firm, unveiled plans last week to offer about 500 Nissan Leaf all-electric cars, initially at dealerships in Los Angeles, San Diego, Portland and Seattle. However, both rental car companies have outlets in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa. The announcement came a few months after Hertz, the world's largest car rental company, said it planned to offer Nissan Leafs next year at a handful of locations in the U.S. and Europe, including New York, Washington and San Francisco.

Southern California Edison is preparing a section of the Balboa Peninsula for underground utilities and plans to shut off electricity from E Street to the end of the peninsula between 2 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. Power may be turned off more than once during the stoppage. Mike Reicher

We've all seen them: the blue signs announcing a nearby electric-car charging station. Follow the arrows, and most of them lead to old technology. Many don't even work. But that's about to change, and change quickly, as the first mass-market electric cars from Nissan, General Motors, SmartCar, Ford, Fiat and other manufacturers hit U.S. roads this winter. South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa recently became one of the first businesses in the region with a publicly accessible charging station for electric cars.

Roads crews will be closing lanes on Jamboree Road and West Coast Highway beginning today, potentially causing delays for drivers. Southern California Edison will close one of the northbound lanes of Jamboree Road between Ford Road and Bison Avenue as it upgrades existing electrical vaults and installs new conduit, cables and switches. While working hours are between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., the city says it will try to keep the busy street clear during rush hour. It also cautions that the lane may be closed overnight at times.

Phil Chipman is living the good life. The 62-year-old retiree surfs almost daily, still plays in his college rock band, and he's got a set of wheels that run for a penny a mile. Chipman drives a two-seater that he designed and built to run entirely on electricity, one which plugs into any standard socket. "My mission was to prove that you could build an electric vehicle in your garage and that there are alternatives out there," the Costa Mesa resident said of gasoline-powered vehicles.

When he used to own a Balboa Peninsula bike shop, Don DiCostanzo started making his own custom electric bikes for customers after he couldn’t find any he liked. Now he hopes that Pedego, the bike company he started in 2007 with a college friend, will become the industry standard for electric bikes. “In e-biking, there isn’t anything in terms of a brand like the Blackberry or iPod yet, and that’s what we hope to be,” DiCostanzo said. DiCostanzo’s electric beach cruisers are catching on in Newport Beach as an environmentally friendly way to avoid beach traffic and parking, said Bethany Lee, director of operations for Newport Fun Tours, 2122 Newport Blvd.