California's "tight and complex" utility system and its vulnerability to rolling blackouts if any part of the system is down was the focus of a recent report from the Institute for Energy Research (TER). And the drive to increase renewable capacity, especially prized by the Golden State, is at the heart of the problem. Renewable generation has made huge strides in California, where clean energy serves a fairly large portion of consumer demand. For instance, on Jul. 12, solar power production in the California Independent System Operator (Caiso) hit a new record of 8,030 megawatts just after 1 p.m. That is nearly twice the amount of solar energy produced in mid-2014 and nearly 2,000 MW higher than in May 2015, the Caiso said.
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