This image shows rolling blackouts in California on August 2020, as seen from space. The dark area is the power outage, and the lights are the areas that still have power. The image was taken by the Suomi NPP satellite, which is a joint mission of NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Rolling blackouts are a type of load shedding that is used to prevent electrical grids from overloading and collapsing. When the demand for electricity exceeds the supply, utilities can use rolling blackouts to temporarily cut off power to certain areas in order to reduce the load on the grid. This can help to prevent widespread blackouts and damage to the electrical system.

Rolling blackouts can be disruptive, but they are an important tool for maintaining the stability of the electrical grid. By temporarily cutting off power to some areas, utilities can prevent larger, more widespread blackouts that could cause even more damage.