Justine Calma of The Verge writes on how drought is stressing California’s power grid.
- The drought in California is drying up water reservoirs which is significantly impacting hydroelectric production.
- In 2019, hydropower accounted for 17% of California’s energy production.
- While climate change is making droughts longer and drier, government policies are making things worse not better.
- The droughts in California highlight the importance of a diverse energy mix that includes renewables, as well as natural gas and nuclear energy.
“Rolling blackouts have already become a new norm for the state as utilities shut down power lines in an attempt to avoid sparking fires during hot, dry weather. But summertime outages also occur when residents crank up their air conditioners to beat the heat and demand outpaces the available power supply.”
Read the full article here.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.
