Unintended consequences....
Nobody in the high levels of state government in California would listen to the known experts in the field of electric power generation and distribution, but proceeded on their own agenda of how power SHOULD be generated and distributed.
It was stipulated long ago that while power COULD be obtained from wind and solar sources, there were few if any economies of scale that would work reliably and under all conditions. At best, either of these two energy sources, renewable or not, would work only as a supplier to a niche, in isolated locations where it was not economical to run long power lines, and where the utilization of batteries for power storage made some kind of economic sense.
California used to be one of the main suppliers of hydroelectric power generation, until some problem was invented, that this was “upsetting” the environment, and therefore the capacity had to be destroyed, so all the power dams were dynamited.
And of course, nuclear-fueled power generation plants were excoriated, because of a totally superstitious belief that ALL atomic power plants would undergo the “China Syndrome”, with huge and unmanageable radiation releases that would doom all life forms in its path of dispersion.
Just about all the woes of California may be laid at the feet of environmentalists and anti-capitalists. But that description is redundant.
Thank you for adding facts, history and logic to the discussion.
And yet somehow, after all the power dams were destroyed, hydroelectric continues to supply 13% of Calfornia's power.
California used to be one of the main suppliers of hydroelectric power generation, until some problem was invented, that this was “upsetting” the environment, and therefore the capacity had to be destroyed, so all the power dams were dynamited.
* * *
Interesting... and now when you look at the tech industry born in Silicon Valley, those businesses can’t get enough hydro power.
Example: huge sums are being spent by the big tech firms to build data centers in Montreal. Why? Because with Quebec’s magnificent hydro-electric industry, it’s the cheapest electricity money can buy — and also one of the most environmentally friendly, especially if it’s in relatively cool places like Portland and Canada where the water can be used to remove heat from compute farms.
So there’s a disconnect between California regulation and the high tech firms’ massive support for hydropower to drive the digital world.