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Rolling blackouts during a California heat wave last year prompted the state to direct its utilities to procure emergency generating capacity for this summer and to reform its planning for reserve power. “Reliability keeps you awake,” California Energy Commission member Siva Gunda said in an interview. Utilities and power generators will have to invest billions of dollars creating that additional capacity while also facing the challenge of replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources.Įxtreme weather events add additional layers of difficulty. More electric cars will require both charging infrastructure and much greater electric-grid capacity. “Redundancy and resiliency when it comes to power is something we have long understood will be an issue,” said Capitol Metro spokeswoman Jenna Maxfield.Īustin’s predicament highlights the challenges facing governments, utilities and auto manufacturers as they respond to climate change. But officials are still trying to solve the dilemma of power interruptions like the Texas freeze. The city’s transit agency has budgeted $650 million over 20 years for electric buses and a charging facility for 187 such vehicles. FILE PHOTO: An electric car charging station is seen at the Regeneron Pharmaceuticals company's Westchester campus in Tarrytown, New York, U.S.