California struggles to keep the lights on as it faces electricity demands that their current energy suppliers cannot meet. State governors are quickly working up plans so they don’t leave their residents in the dark. There energy demand could exceed supplies by as much as 35,000 megawatts. That much of an energy shortage could leave over 3 million homes without electricity. State leaders are trying their hardest to prevent blackouts like the one people experienced in August of 2020. They are struggling balancing the need to power people’s homes and businesses with their carbon emissions goals. California wants to make their grids carbon-free by 2045 plus state law mandates they must generate 60% of their energy for renewable resources within the next eight years.
Their short-term solution includes keeping open a natural gas plant that was set to close down in order to make up for the energy they need. There are quite a few power plants that were set for retirement by 2025 and residents are worried if there will be even less resources available. Governor Gavin Newsom also wants to spend over $5 billion on reliability for his state.
“If the public sees this year after year — shortages and blackouts and curtailment — I think there will be a lot of setback for the long-term green energy plan that everyone hopes will come to pass,” said Ahmad Faruqui, energy economist formerly with the Brattle Group consulting firm. “We live in the short run. Unless we make it through the short run, we are not going to get the long run.”
Click here to read the full article, originally posted June 6, 2022, by E & E News.