California’s electric grid has been sapped by scorching temperatures this summer, and emergency rolling blackouts have been ordered to help manage the situation.
The state’s grid has become more reliant on renewable energy in the past several years, the Wall Street Journal recently reported, but sources such as wind and solar are intermittent and less reliable than fossil fuels.
“That has put enormous strain on California’s electric grid, which is in the middle of an unprecedented transition as policy-makers continue to reduce the state’s reliance on fossil fuels to generate power," the WSJ reported.
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Similar to Texas, California’s grid has a low margin for error due to its reliance on these renewable sources, according to the Energy Alliance (EA), a Texas Business Coalition project focused on the state's energy market.
“The distortions caused by the rapid growth of wind and solar generation are significantly decreasing the reliability of the [Texas] electricity grid,” EA states on its website. “Federal, state and local subsidies for renewable energy are undermining the reliability of the Texas electricity market, and Texans are paying a high price for the privilege of a less reliable market.”
Both federal and state subsidies given to wind and solar projects have resulted in those sources contributing more to the energy supply in states such as California and Texas. In California, demand is now exceeding supply.
“The California Independent System Operator, which manages the state’s power grid, had called for utilities to initiate rolling blackouts as demand outstripped supplies,” the Wall Street Journal reported. “Both orders were relatively short-lived, but the emergency measures exposed just how thin the grid’s margin for error had become.”
That slim margin of error is similar to that of Texas' power grid, and the Texas Business Coalition predicted that extreme summer heat in Texas would challenge renewable energy sources here as well.
“The cost of renewable energy subsidies does not come only in dollar terms, EA stated. “The distortions caused by the rapid growth of these inefficient resources are significantly decreasing the reliability of the electricity grid in Texas and the United States.”
As the WSJ reported, California has for the past 20 years subsidized large renewable energy projects so that renewables now supply more than 33% of the state’s energy needs. Coal-fired generation, natural gas and nuclear power have been reduced for solar farms and additional wind power.
“That poses a major challenge for the state’s grid operator during times of high demand,” the WSJ reported. “Solar energy production begins to decline in the early evening hours, when power usage peaks, reducing the capacity available during a supply crunch.”
