California Begs For More Electricity As Shift To Renewable Power Leaves State In The Dark

The state of California is currently facing the worst drought in 1,200 years and, as a consequence of such extreme weather conditions, water in key reservoirs is dropping to dangerously low levels, which is forcing the shutdown of major hydroelectric power plants and leaving the state in the dark amid one of the hottest summers ever recorded. The relentless drought and extreme heat, both worsened by climate change, are critically straining California’s already-taxed electric grid, and pushing the water supply at Northern California’s Lake Oroville to deplete rapidly. Early last month, the water level in Lake Oroville - the state’s second-largest reservoir - was so low that hundreds of houseboats were hauled out because there wasn’t enough water to hold them. Today, however, state officials revealed the water level in the lake is even lower. In fact, water is at such “alarming levels“ that the Edward Hyatt Power Plant is being forced to close for the first time since it opened in 1967, according to California