California Warns of a Second Energy Crisis
- Customers are leaving utilities for local power providers
- State needs to develop plan for increased competition
An employee installs a solar panel on the roof of a home in Los Angeles, California in 2014.
Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg
California’s chief utility regulator is warning that the state could find itself in the throes of another energy crisis if it doesn’t address the droves of customers defecting from utilities.
The state is going to find it increasingly difficult to ensure it has enough electricity to keep the lights on as more Californians leave utilities to buy their power directly from resources like rooftop solar panels and community choice aggregators that contract directly with generators, California Public Utilities Commission President Michael Picker said. As much as a quarter of the state’s energy demand may be sourced outside of utilities by the end of this year, he said.