California’s Energy Crisis

The threat of rolling blackouts for years to come is the reality that California is forced to come to terms with. Record-breaking heat waves this past summer brought California’s power grid to the brink of collapse. In Governor Gavin Newsom’s telling, the state’s efforts to bolster renewable energy helped it keep the lights on while going right to the edge of breaking the electric grid.

Despite adding new power plants, installing huge battery storage systems, and restarting some shuttered fossil fuel generators, California still heavily relies on energy from other states. Frantic cellphone alerts sent to millions of residents begged them to cut their energy use amidst the blazing heat. Climate change makes such extreme weather events ever more frequent.

The ongoing shift from fossil fuels towards renewable energy such as wind and solar energy relies on the sun shining or wind blowing, making the available supply of energy more variable. The growing demand for electricity makes reaching the state-mandated goal of a grid that is 100% emissions-free by 2045 that much more difficult. So far this year, renewables have provided only 36% of the state’s power supply.

Not only that, but also high energy demand leads electricity prices to soar, with some prices creeping up to nearly $2,000, compared with normal prices of less than $100 per megawatt-hour. This uncomfortable reality raises the stakes for the future of California’s energy grid and its progress towards renewable energy goals.

Posted by Maximum Energy Professionals “MEP”, a mechanical engineering firm located in Torrance, CA. Sustainability Services, ENERGY STAR utility benchmarking and award certification, California AB802 Compliance, City of Los Angeles EBEWE Compliance, ASHRAE energy audits, LEED, energy conservation/green Mechanical-Electrical-Plumbing systems and equipment design. Call us at 310-782-1410 or visit our website at www.mep-llc.com.