Even affected blackout
Electric companies implemented rolling blackouts for the first time since 2001.
Yes, there is a huge heat wave. But the inability to meet the increase in demand is due to a shift in natural gas.
Please remember millions of Californians saw Going Dark as Heat Tests Grid.
As months as 3 million people in California can be turned Monday night in the dark. If the state’s networker works to maintain the region’s power system while punishing one of the worst heat waves in generations.
The outages, which were expected to hit California at 6 p.m., would mark the third time in four days that state utilities are deliberately cutting power to protect a grid that has been pushed to the brink of failure as people air conditioners and fans blow keep calm. The state on Monday reported a power shortage of about 1.4 gigawatts, the California Independent System Operator said in a statement.
Since Friday, millions of Californians have been abruptly plunged into darkness with little to no mention, reminiscent of the mass blackouts the state utilities conducted less than a year ago to prevent their electrical lines from catching fires during unusually strong windstorms.
Part of the problem is the rapid shift of California away from natural gas. Some 9 gigawatts of gas production, enough to power 6.8 million homes, have retired over the past five years as the state increasingly turns to sustainability, according to BloombergNEF. That leaves fewer options as the sun goes down and solar production grows.
Normally, California can import enough power from neighboring states if supplies are tight. But the sprawling heatwave blankets of the American West are sending power plants to the hill across the region.
Part of the problem as most of it?
Heat wave side, blame for the blackouts goes square on the immense pressure for more expensive renewable forms of energy that can not meet the demand.
Even if California can buy from other states to meet too much demand, that is additional cost.
Not only do durable products cost more, they are not as reliable. One can not produce wine on demand.
California-style solution
California can raise taxes enough so that enough people flee to reduce electricity demand.
As noted earlier, California seeks wealth taxes to soothe the rich, even those who leave.
The obvious problem with the wealth tax is lack of enough billionaires. Not enough would be left to put every belly in the demand for electricity.
California needs to raise taxes so high for everyone that 30% of people leave. Unfortunately, the 30% who are likely to leave pay at least 70% of the taxes.
But hey, it would reduce A / C demand by at least a third.
Mish
