California’s Grid Braces For Failure Just Days After Biden’s Energy Secretary Praises State’s Green Policies

California’s Grid Braces For Failure Just Days After Biden’s Energy Secretary Praises State’s Green Policies

Jack McEvoy on September 6, 2022

California residents are at risk of experiencing blackouts on Tuesday, just four days after President Joe Biden’s Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm praised the state’s green energy policies.

Granholm touted California’s green energy transition in an interview on Saturday, Sept. 3, only four days before California’s electrical grid operator, California Independent Systems Operator (CAISO), issued a level 2 energy emergency alert, warning customers to be prepared for “power outages.” Granholm said that California was leading the nation in green energy development and praised its ability to shape national energy policy, according to an interview conducted by Fox 11 Los Angeles.

“I love the fact that California is unabashedly bold about (green) energy policy,” Granholm stated, calling the state as a green “leader” for the rest of the country. “California’s boldness has … shaped our willingness in the federal government to move further and faster,” she said of California’s green energy policies.

CAISO issued the emergency alert as California’s grid may struggle to cope with record-high levels of energy demand spurred by California’s current heat wave and urged residents to curb power usage during the late afternoon and evening, according to a press release. The operator is likely to declare a level 3 energy emergency around 5:30 pm PT, one step away from ordering rotating power outages.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California also warned that the risk of power outages statewide was “real and immediate,” according to a video his office posted on Twitter. Newsom implored Californians to “step up” and save energy when power demand peaks by turning their thermostats to 78 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.

California is accelerating its plans to produce 100% of its energy from “clean” sources by 2045, according to the California Energy Commission. However, supply-chain problems are preventing the state from developing enough renewable sources to meet elevated demands, Newsom’s aides told E&E News in August.

“California is in the lead and can show the rest of the nation how it is done,” Granholm said of California’s investment in renewable energy technologies in a separate interview with Fox 11 Los Angeles on Friday.

Granholm praised the Democrats’ $369 billion climate spending bill that will invest billions of taxpayer dollars into green energy initiatives, according to an August Department of Energy (DOE) statement. California also approved a plan on Thursday, Sept 1., to spend $54 billion over the next five years to fight climate change and promote green energy development, according to CNN.

The DOE and CAISO did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.