July 11, 2001 – A new wireless offering from the State of California is giving residents a head's up on possible lights out.

The service provides mobile alerts that give advance notice of impending energy shortfalls. The idea isn't merely to inform; the goal is to spur conservation. If residents and businesses know that energy is scarce, the state hopes they will take "timely conservation action, deal with a potential power outage and help prevent disruptive rolling blackouts."

"When the state faces a shortfall, every bit counts – wireless notifications will tell subscribing citizens, in real time, when they need to turn down air conditioners, appliances, and lights to help conserve electricity," said Arun Baheti, director of the state's e-government initiative.

Residents can register for the alerts on the My California Internet portal or the State's Flex Your Power Web page.

The state has created wireless versions of the two sites. In addition, the wireless edition of the Flex Your Power site features an energy conservation Q&A, called Energy Brain, developed by KANA Software. The site also posts energy saving tips and information on current energy initiatives.

Deloitte Consulting, systems integrator for the My California portal, helped develop the state's wireless program, which includes email notification of lottery results, traffic updates, press releases and executive orders.

Personalization services are provided through BroadVision One-To-One Enterprise, which also powers the My California portal.