California’s future is dark.
The three henchmen of the green power at all costs crowd have warned us.
Officials from the California Public Utilities Commission, California Energy Commission, and the California Independent System Operator on Friday announced that power shortages are more than likely this summer.
Don’t blame this one on PG&E.
The mega-drought — or manmade climate change for those deniers that refuse to believe Mother Nature and not mankind is in the driver’s seat that counts — is partially to blame.
But the real scoundrel here are Sacramento dictates.
First the good news. Even without a blistering heat wave during peak use hours this summer between 3 and 9 p.m. weekdays, models show the Golden State has a solid chance of coming up short 1,700 megawatts.
Based on historic use, power may need to be cut to 1.3 million California households. That translates roughly to 4 million people or a tenth of all Californians possibly being without electricity.
Now the bad news. If wildfires, a heat wave, drought conditions, smoky/cloudy skies, and winds all align the shortfall could easily hit 5,000 megawatts. That translates into 3.75 million homes.
But don’t worry, be happy. In the past year there have been a few minutes where 99 percent of the power California has consumed was totally green.
It is regulations that have dictated the shift to 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2045 with the attached benchmark of being 60 percent the by 2030 that is fueling the pending power crisis that will likely cripple the world’s sixth largest economy at various times this summer.
Do not misunderstand. This is not a criticism of the need to reach such a goal. It is, however, an indictment of the myopic approach that nixes nuclear power and going cold turkey as soon as possible on all carbon-based power use in California regardless of how large of a footprint it leaves per megawatt generated.
It is clear continuing to tap into coal-powered electricity from another state to cover “emergency” shortfalls is much dirtier than cleaner burning natural gas. Yet instead of weaning off coal completely then following suit with natural gas it is going down all at once.
And not much consideration is being given to “good” carbon footprint power generation sources such as large-scale efforts to harness methane gas. It is a way of improving air quality that isn’t 100 percent carbon free but reduces the impacts of a lot of environmental issues.
It is true such power sources are being pursued but they are buried in the rush to go solar and develop wind power.
It is the full throttle push for 100 percent green energy and to put California in the forefront of the green movement that prompted state regulations that for all practical purposes forced PG&E into expensive long-term energy contracts that are partially to blame for the high cost of electricity we are enjoying today.
The state has pushed hard to force the plug to be pulled on additional carbon-based power as well as nuclear power to the tune of 6,000 megawatts by 2025.
That translates into enough juice to power 4.6 million homes.
Given Gov. Gavin Newsom hasn’t been kept in the dark about the severe power shortages models as the state’s top executive, it is little wonder he suggested that perhaps the state should back off on forcing PG&E to close down Diablo Canyon nuclear power generation by 2025.
If you were PG&E would you take a bite out of the apple that Newsom is tempting you with?
It is only because of a squeeze created by the green-energy-at-all-cost policies that Newsom has essentially embraced for years that the state is heading into the throes of a major power crisis.
Do not forget that the hardcore green power movement hates nuclear power.
The last thing PG&E — or its ratepayers need — is to take a bite of the tainted apple designed to save the hide of those that in positions of power that have rammed green energy mandates through that could end up saddling the for-profit utility and its customers with billions in stranded investments if they grab the nuclear power carrot being dangled.
That’s because politicians are chameleons who change their colors when it suits their own perceptions, situations, and agendas.
Do not forget the general public will be played.
The power shortages when they occur won’t be called black outs.
Instead, they will have the much more soothing sounding moniker of brown outs.
What they should be called are “yellow outs.” That’s because of the yellow lies we’ve been fed that California could make the transmission to green power smoothly.
You will also notice Newsom this past week joined a growing chorus of for-profit solar firms that are miffed those federal laws regarding fair trade policy and other federal regulations applies to the solar panel industry as they do everyone else.
They have gone as far as to imply “sinister” money is bankrolling the small Southern California’s solar manufacturing firm that dared to file an official complaint with the federal government against the solar panel cartel that benefits from what may be the wholesale circumventing of tariffs to flood of the American market with solar panel components.
Newson contends if the federal government does their due diligence it will set back the move to solar power in California by at least two years.
Ah, the stench of circumstantial ethics in Sacramento where the ends justify the means.
The right course of action is only whatever the powers that be dictate even if it breaks laws or goes against the national interest.
Keep that in mind while you enjoy the double sting brought to you by the green power movement at all costs this summer — higher rates with undependable power that can go out at any minute between 3 and 9 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays.
Wouldn’t you know that Sacramento is the only thing that can make a corporation that has confessed to 84 counts of manslaughter look like a responsible entity you can trust with your life.
This column is the opinion of Dennis Wyatt, and does not necessarily represent the opinions of The Courier or 209 Multimedia.
