California will fall well short of the power generation required to fuel its electric vehicle mandate, a new report shows, reflecting the "seemingly insurmountable hurdles" the state faces in its bid to go green.
California Democratic governor Gavin Newsom in 2020 unveiled an executive order banning the sale of gas-powered cars in the state by 2035, a policy that brings higher electricity demand as residents ditch the pump for plug-in stations. But the state is nowhere near on track to meet that higher demand, according to a Pacific Research Institute report, which found that California will fall more than 21 percent short of the power generation levels required to support the electric vehicle mandate. As a result, the study says, California must rapidly expand its power plants or risk facing "acute electricity shortages" in the near future.
"It is clear by any objective measure that California is relying more on hope than a workable plan to transition to a green power grid," the report says. "California policymakers made an enormous mistake in their haste to push technologies that aren't ready … It is past time for the state to reassess its approach for addressing global climate change."
Despite California's green energy struggles, the Biden administration has praised the state for its "bold" green energy policies, with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm crediting the state for inspiring her to "move faster and further" toward a green energy transition. California's failure to support an electric vehicle mandate, however, could weaken support for similar policies at the national level.
Newsom's office did not return a request for comment.
California is one of many states that has moved to phase out coal and natural gas plants in favor of green energy. But that push comes with reliability issues. While fossil fuel plants can be turned on and off at the flip of a switch, green alternatives such as wind and solar rely on favorable weather conditions to operate at full capacity. State and federal officials are thus warning that a majority of Americans could face power blackouts this summer, particularly on warm evenings with little wind. California, meanwhile, has already seen its green power grid strained—last year, for example, the state urged electric car drivers to stop charging their vehicles due to inadequate power supply.
In addition to the reliability issues associated with a green power grid, the transition away from coal and gas is massively expensive. California alone must spend a whopping $9.3 billion on power upgrades to support its green transition, the nonprofit that oversees the state's electric grid said in May.
"Policymakers should consider that many sources of renewable energy, such as wind and solar, are volatile and erratic, and will require significant investments in necessary infrastructure and land that will be very expensive, costs that will ultimately be borne by ratepayers," the Pacific Research Institute report says. "Upgrading the power grid for an all-renewable-energy future will require a scale comparable to a World War II level of mobilization, which will not be achievable given current regulatory hurdles."
Those challenges have not stopped the Biden administration from pushing green power grids. President Joe Biden's Environmental Protection Agency in May unveiled a plan that requires coal and natural gas power plants to slash their carbon emission by 90 percent between 2035 and 2040. The unfeasible regulations are expected to force such plants to shut down rather than pay compliance costs.
California's electric vehicle mandate also flies in the face of consumer preference. Less than one-fifth of Americans say they're very likely to make their next vehicle an electric one, an April Associated Press poll found, with skeptical respondents citing the high cost associated with the cars. Electric vehicles on average cost $10,000 more than their gas-powered counterparts.