The California 2070 Project: The Impending Doom of California’s Power Grid
When the power grid failed in Texas, millions were left without electricity, struggling to get basic necessities. Frigid temperatures led to increased energy demand as people cranked up their heaters to stay warm.
“Every one of our sources of power supply underperformed, every one of them is vulnerable to extreme weather and climate events in different ways. None of them were adequately weatherized or prepared for a full realm of weather and conditions,” Daniel Cohan from Rice University tweeted.
The consequences of the power grid failure were wide reaching -- and devastating. In Abilene, a 60 year-old man was found dead after not having power for three days. First responders reported that the inside of his home was just as cold as the outside.
If Californian leaders don’t take action, the state risks a similar power grid failure affecting the safety and comfort of millions of residents.
Global Warming in California & Energy Demand
California has begun to experience more extreme heat waves as a result of the warming climate. This has led to a greater demand for electricity as people use air conditioning and fans more. The state government has had to ask citizens to conserve electricity and implement rolling power outages to avoid widespread blackouts. In some cases, power companies have shut off power temporarily in an attempt to reduce the risk of fires from electrical equipment. California lacks a reliable, in-state energy supply, and the distribution process is undependable as well.
Researchers from UC Santa Barbara, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and UC Berkeley, developed a framework in early 2021 that identifies how climate change will affect energy systems and diminish water resources in California. An astounding 20% of California's electricity consumption goes toward water-related applications (treating, transporting, pumping, heating, etc.), and 15% of in-state electricity generation comes from hydropower. Climate change makes hydrologic cycles more unpredictable, which can greatly interfere with both the availability of water resources and energy generation. For instance, droughts will cause deficits in hydroelectric power generation, limiting the 15% of in-state electricity generation we get from hydropower.
The Role of Renewable Energy
California has increased the amount of solar capacity on its grid to more than one-third of the nation's solar output, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. One significant issue with solar is the inability to produce energy when the sun goes down, thus requiring other sources.
As recent “blackouts” and “brownouts” attest, California’s grid is vulnerable like Texas’ and some blame renewable energy for the power grid’s failures in the first place: “California has traded energy security to kneel before the false prophet of green energy. Instead of using reliable and affordable nuclear and coal plants, they are using intermittent and unreliable wind and solar power,” says meteorologist Anthony Watts.
Democrats have admitted to the flaws of renewable sources. However, batteries could help integrate unreliable renewables onto the grid by storing energy collected during periods of peak capacity and parceling it out during periods of peak demand. Other alternatives include pumped-storage hydropower (PSH) which is a type of hydroelectric energy storage, which provides 95% of utility-scale energy storage in the United States.
The Future
"All the experts tell us this type of wild unanticipated weather is going to happen much more frequently than has happened in the past. It's incumbent on us and others to ensure the grid is more resilient against those particular extreme weather events." Says Richard Glick, chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
What are the next steps? The cost of upgrading and modernizing the US grid, is in the trillions of dollars alone, which doesn’t even account for other changes that need to be made. Not to mention the expected population growth in the next decades that will put even more of a strain on the power grid.
Climate resiliency in our power grid system could be a good place to start. This entails refiguring the grid to withstand long-term changes in climatology, protecting coastal communities, earthquake-prone areas, and related vulnerable populations. With proper risk assessment and preparation for the future, Californian leaders should be proactive on this issue before it’s too late.
What can citizens do? Remaining aware of issues relating to the power grid is important. While it may be a few months before the next inevitable heat wave in California occurs, remember the complex power grid (and it’s downfalls) and be cautious with personal electricity demand.
Whether it be purchasing goods from a climate-conscious company, taking the bus, supporting regenerative agriculture, or refraining from air travel, every day we have the opportunity to lessen the impact we have on the climate.
