Why did the shortage begin so suddenly last summer?
This past year, drought conditions in the Pacific Northwest decreased the amount of energy hydroelectric generators could produce. Then, last summer, hot weather in the Southwest dramatically increased demand for electricity, eliminating any available surplus. Q: Why does weather in other states affect California’s electric supply? A: The states in the Western part of the country are interconnected on one power grid. This interconnectivity allows states to buy and sell excess power from each other – helping to maximize the efficiency of each power plant. However, this also means that when one state has problems due to weather, fuel shortage or mechanical failure, it can affect the entire Western region. Q: Why have prices shot up so dramatically? A: Supply and demand is the basic law of economics. When there is not enough supply to meet demand, prices increase. Conversely, prices tend to drop when supply exceeds demand. But in 1996 when the California legislature put deregulation of ut
