As the Summer Heats Up California Relies on Fossil Fuels

August 1, 2023

It’s the same story each summer. The weather gets warmer, and the states who have tried to rely too heavily on renewable energy sources are left scrambling for more fossil fuels to help power the electric grid. This week California is relying heavily on fossil fuel-fired power plants to help keep the grid up and running. 

Fox News reports,  

“According to data compiled by the California Independent System Operator, more than 40% of the state’s total power grid supply derived from natural gas on Sunday, the largest share of any source. Renewable power, mainly solar energy, accounted for nearly 34%, but was only the largest energy source during peak sunlight hours between about 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. The state’s grid is dependent on fossil fuel plants during the nighttime and morning hours when solar energy infrastructure isn’t producing up to its capacity. That includes the period of highest electricity demand at around 7 p.m. when, on Sunday, natural gas generated 45% of the state’s power compared to the 27% generated by renewables.”

Governor Newsom (D-CA) has made many outlandish headlines in the past few years regarding California’s climate laws and shifting to renewable energy. 

“California’s climate goals comes with a high cost that the public needs to understand,” Kevin Slagle, a spokesperson for the Western States Petroleum Association, told Fox News Digital. “The state will need three times the electricity production we have today, 30 times the number of EVs on the road and energy infrastructure will need to be built at a historical pace. While these challenges and the costs associated with them are worked through, the facts are we need natural gas to power our grid…Even today with normal temperatures and clear skies, natural gas is the largest contributor to California’s power grid.”

Eco-left leaders across the country view California as leading the way in shifting to renewable energy, but they need to remember one crucial detail. Like the rest of the United States, California relies on fossil fuels. Further proving how unreliable renewable energy sources are and underlining the need for fossil fuels in our energy mix.