Spain’s Blackout Is a Warning: California Needs an All-of-the-Above Energy Strategy

When nearly half of Spain lost power this week due to failures in its high-voltage transmission system – ironically, during a push for more renewable energy – it sent a warning shot around the world. In California, where we’ve experienced our own rolling blackouts and urgent calls to conserve electricity during heatwaves, this should be a moment of clarity: the one-size-fits-all energy strategy simply doesn’t work.

For years, California has aggressively pursued policies to shut down reliable, dispatchable energy sources, like natural gas, in favor of intermittent renewables. But as Spain just proved, even nations hailed as climate leaders are vulnerable when they bet too heavily on systems that can’t guarantee consistent energy delivery.

Blackouts are not just an inconvenience; they threaten public safety, critical infrastructure, and economic stability. Hospitals, water treatment plants, food supply chains, and families all suffer when the lights go out. For a state that prides itself on technological leadership, having energy shortages is a glaring failure of policy, not capability.

California should take this moment to look inward. We need an energy mix that is reliable, resilient, and realistic. That means combining renewables with natural gas, hydro, and in-state oil production. An all-of-the-above approach is common sense.

Sacramento must stop treating energy policy like a political trophy case. If we want to keep the lights on, protect jobs, and lead the world in innovation, we must embrace a balanced energy future, so we don’t have to receive another ridiculous request for electric car owners to refrain from charging their cars because of potential blackouts.