In the fall of 2019 California experienced intermittent and ongoing controlled power outages due to fire threats from high winds compromising an aging electrical power infrastructure. Known as Public Safety Power Shutoffs, the utilities exercised this authority nearly 20 times from September 2019 to December 2019, leaving at its peak over 2 million without power for nearly 1 week.
California’s energy costs are exceeding the cost of inflation. Unfortunately, most new laws and taxes do not take into account the financial impact to the average Californian. Understanding how much energy we need and ensuring that the energy we produce is cost effective and reliable will always be critical for our economy to thrive.
The kinds of outages are not only inconvenient, but they are costly and potentially life threatening for those with medical equipment that requires electricity. We need to find solutions for the aging infrastructure and ensure there are reliable sources of back-up energy while the solutions are being implemented.