Alyssia Finley, opinion writer for the Wall Street Journal, criticizes California’s power outages, attributing them to the state’s aggressive climate policies to transition to renewable energy. It highlights that during a recent heatwave, outages affected thousands of residents while Governor Gavin Newsom was out of state. Finley argues that California’s drive to rely on solar, wind, and electric vehicles is overloading the grid, as these energy sources are less reliable than nuclear or natural gas. Additionally, aging infrastructure is worsening the issue, leading to increased power surges, blackouts, and high energy costs for residents.

California’s renewable mandates, requiring 60% of power from renewables by 2030, are seen as destabilizing the grid, causing frequent outages. 

The Port of Los Angeles, vital for U.S. cargo, has experienced disruptions due to surges, impacting operations. Despite this, California continues to invest in green initiatives, like battery storage, which critics argue is costly and less efficient than traditional energy. Moreover, residents face rising utility bills, with rates at 130% over the past decade.

Utilities also deal with wildfire mitigation efforts and long-term contracts with solar providers, locking them into high costs.