The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) initiated rolling blackouts that affected hundreds of thousands of customers this summer after a record-breaking heatwave swept across the Western U.S., leading to a spike in energy demand. The operator simultaneously faced other issues including thermal and natural gas plants becoming less efficient or going offline, declining production of behind-the-meter renewables and large-scale solar and the lack of available imports, the CPUC noted in its order.
