Gov. Gavin Newsom is fond of claiming that California leads the nation in climate action and energy policy, but a new report says California leads in something else – power outages.
The report from consumer ratings site TexasElectricityRatings.com looked at data from the U.S. Department of Energy on major grid disturbances and outages between 2003 and 2023. California led all states with 493 major power outages, about 12% of the nationwide total. The average duration was 41.4 hours, and 32 million people were affected. The Golden State’s most embarrassing year was 2022, with 69 major power outage events.
According to the report, the most common cause of major outages in California was physical attacks and vandalism. Large-scale customer outages have also been related to high winds or storms, equipment failure, fires and intentional shut-offs for public safety.
Is California’s electric grid too vulnerable and not as resilient as it could be?
One vulnerability is the vast distance that transmission lines must extend to carry electricity from solar and wind energy facilities located far from the cities where much of the electricity is used. California also relies on imported electricity from other states. It gets here on long-distance transmission lines. It’s not delivered by the tooth fairy.
Speaking of fairy tales, a new analysis from an energy think tank in the UK called Ember celebrated that California set a “world-first solar milestone” in May with 51% of electricity generation coming from solar power. Before anybody uncorks champagne, Ember did not count imported electricity. Solar was 51% of non-imported electricity, not 51% of the electricity supply needed to meet demand in the state.
California has led all states in electricity imports year after year, except for 2023 when Virginia briefly edged into the lead. Not to worry, California regained the title in 2024 when, according to the California Energy Commission, the Golden State brought in 22% of its total system electric generation from somewhere outside California.
The California Independent System Operator, also known as CAISO, shows the sources of California’s electricity supply on its website at CAISO.com, updated every five minutes under “Today’s Outlook.” On Wednesday night at 11:45 p.m., 10.6% of the state’s electricity supply was imported. Natural gas was producing 44.6% of California’s power. Nuclear and large hydroelectric facilities were contributing 7.2% and 11.6% respectively, and while those carbon-free power sources might seem “renewable,” they don’t meet California’s definition. Only solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, biogas and small hydroelectric plants count as “renewable” for utilities that must comply with state climate laws to procure the required percentages of renewable-source electricity by the mandated deadlines.
What about batteries, you ask?
On Wednesday night, batteries hit their peak power production at 7:25 p.m., releasing 12,212 MW of electricity. Unfortunately, they can’t keep it up. At 11:45 p.m., batteries were nearly depleted, giving out just 2,037 MW. That was only 6.5% of the state’s power supply at that moment, when total demand for electricity in California was 31,144 MW. By 1:45 a.m., batteries were at zero.
Wind power? Have you heard that the wind blows at night and makes up for the sun going down? Don’t count on it. At 11:45 p.m. wind energy was providing only 4,744 MW.
It’s not terribly convincing to say solar energy is breaking records in California when the month that’s highlighted is May. Four weeks of lovely long days and mild temperatures are hardly proof that an advanced civilization is gaining on its comical goal to run on sunshine and breezes, unless that civilization happens to be located in a place where it’s never summer and it’s never night.
When it’s one or the other, and especially when it’s both, the picture looks very different. Now you know why California politicians chickened out of their plan a couple of years ago to force the closure of the remaining gas-powered and nuclear-powered electricity plants, over the objections of environmental activists who want to close both and also get rid of hydroelectric dams.
The nation’s largest exporter of electricity is usually Pennsylvania, a state that’s rich in coal.
California won’t generate electricity with coal, although we don’t ask too many questions about how imported electricity comes into existence. However, some type of continuous, dispatchable power is needed to keep the lights on in California when the sun and the wind and biogas and batteries can’t get it done.
Electricity rates in California are so high because you’re paying for all of it. And you’re paying to cover the cost of “hardening” the expansive grid to reduce vulnerability to attacks or fires. And you’re paying for the wildfire damage that utilities have to cover, if regulators allowed the companies to recoup those costs on ratepayers’ bills. And you’re paying for their insurance costs, marketing costs, lobbying costs and other costs of doing business. It’s in the rates.
The mindless cheerleading for renewable energy continues even as more than 20% of utility customers are behind on paying their bills, according to the July 2026 report of the independent Public Advocates Office of the California Public Utilities Commission. Guess how much electricity rates have gone up in the last ten years, while California pursued the title of “World-First 51% Solar-Generated Electricity in May.”
PG&E rates went up 69%. San Diego Gas & Electric, up 97%. Southern California Edison, up 101%.
Between 2014 and 2026, inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index was up 42%.
It isn’t necessary for California, alone among the states, to impose these costly mandates for renewable energy, to string transmission lines across vast expanses of flammable landscape, to mandate electric vehicles and growl at gas stoves. California’s policies have no effect on the global climate; the state accounts for only about 1% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. It’s all for show, intended to influence other governments to follow California’s lead.
So far, none of them want to lead the nation in high rates and power outages. Our title is secure.
Write Susan@SusanShelley.com and follow her on X @Susan_Shelley