Rolling Blackouts Return to California Amid Shift to 'Green' Energy

The exact root of California's rolling blackouts is still unclear as more power outages loom, and that's allowed everyone to point fingers.

Energy experts Monday cited a litany of potential causes for the rotating outages that affected hundreds of thousands of California residents Friday and Saturday nights: ballooning demand, inadequate transmission, an overreliance on renewable energy and natural gas plant challenges during hot weather.

While California braced for another round of rolling blackouts Monday night, the state's grid operator held off for a second straight night, citing cooler than expected weather and widespread conservation. It also came as Gov. Gavin Newsom questioned all of the state's electricity players about why the outages occurred and faced blowback from frustrated residents. Still, the state says more blackouts affecting millions of residents could occur this week as a historic heat wave endures.

California has endured planned blackouts in recent years as a wildfire prevention measure. But it was the Golden State's first round of rolling blackouts related to supply since 2001, when Enron and other energy traders manipulated California's market.

Earlier Monday, the California Independent System Operator blamed Friday's outages on "high heat and increased electricity demand." Yet some energy experts noted that demand wasn't particularly higher than normal, as is typical for weekends, and CAISO had predicted it would have adequate reserves on hand for the 80 percent of California's grid that it manages.

The California Independent System Operator, the nonprofit entity that controls the flow of electricity for 80 percent of California, said it acted after three power plants shut down and wind power production dropped. It also cited a lack of access to electricity from out-of-state sources.

Hi @KamalaHarris - Berkeley, Calif. resident here

We are in 3rd night of blackouts b/c of our over-reliance on unreliable renewables & the closure of nat gas & nuclear plants

Genuine question: why should the rest of the U.S. follow our lead? https://t.co/X7VpXQ2fZ2

— Mike Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) August 17, 2020

Also, California's climate agenda resulted in power prices rising 6x more than in rest of US

Don't economists on the Left and Right broadly agree that making energy more expensive is highly regressive — even more so than making food expensive?https://t.co/iX5GtvGpeF

— Mike Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) August 17, 2020

Only nations that use a lot of nuclear have significantly replaced fossil fuels

Why, then, didn't you follow-through on the glaring evidence of criminal activity leading to the closure of a Calif. nuclear plant, which spiked emissions & prices?https://t.co/CBMW9t0svn pic.twitter.com/ecqDZZaHEC

— Mike Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) August 17, 2020

Would you please consider investigating California's mystery gasoline surcharge now?

It's costing the average Californian family an astonishing *$1,800* per yearhttps://t.co/m32mlpi69K

— Mike Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) August 17, 2020

To manage our increasingly unreliable grid, California will need to a) keep our last nuclear plant operating, b) build more nat gas plants, or c) pay ever-more money annually to reserve emergency electricity supply from its neighbors.

Which do you favor?https://t.co/1GB9i0zDIo

— Mike Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) August 17, 2020

Correction: To manage our increasingly unreliable grid, California will need to do TWO of the following: a) keep our last nuclear plant operating, b) build more nat gas plants, c) pay ever-more money annually to reserve emergency electricity supply from its neighbors.

— Mike Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) August 17, 2020