California's aim to shift its electrical generation away from fossil fuels and towards renewable-energy production in its effort to battle climate change has been hindered by its ailing power grid.

The state is far behind in its need to upgrade its electrical infrastructure, and as it rushes to achieve its climate goals of 90% "clean" energy within a dozen years, it may not be able to handle millions of new electric vehicles. The state's major utility companies have unveiled a new rate structure that incentivizes consumers to use more electricity and lowers usage-based costs, which will further stress the grid.

The California Independent System Operator has released a draft report calling for an additional 22 transmission projects driven by the state's energy policy goals, estimating those costs at $7.53 billion over the next decade. This comes at a time when California is facing a $25-billion budget deficit. While California's approach seems driven more by ideology than reality, the state's leaders need to spend less time promoting far-reaching environmental goals and more time figuring out how to meet them.

Source: ocregister.com