Looking to avoid power blackouts, California may turn to the one energy source it's otherwise desperate to get rid of: fossil fuels.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Looking to avoid power blackouts, California may turn to the one energy source it's otherwise desperate to get rid of: fossil fuels.
California gets most of its energy from renewable sources during the day, but doesn't yet have the storage to dispatch enough solar power after the sun goes down. The bill aims to speed up the building of more renewable energy and storage facilities by removing local governments from permitting decisions. Supply chain issues are also slowing down building.
Newsom's solution centers on creating a “strategic reliability reserve" run by the Department of Water Resources. The water agency has been given that role because it is a major producer and user of power through its dams and operation of the state’s water pumping system. This summer, the department could reimburse utilities if they have to buy extra power and add temporary power generators, including those powered by fossil fuels.
“Those are tough decisions that we're all going to have to wrestle with," said Sen. Henry Stern, a Democrat from Los Angeles County. “What this bill is doing is buying time." Environmental groups, meanwhile, said the state wouldn't need to rely on fossil fuels as a backup if it had moved faster to build up renewable resources and expressed concern that the bill doesn't put enough guardrails on the water department's power. The department would not have to comply with California's landmark environmental law to move forward with new projects.
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