A big problem is a shortage of power that could be imported from utilities in neighboring states. California has been able to bridge the gaps in previous heatwaves because it could bring in power. This time, though, “we are facing diminished imports because the West is heating up,” said Berberich.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state was using “all the tools in the tool kit” to meet demand. “We are likely to fall short,” he said, as oppressive temperatures stress the state’s energy system that serves 5 million households and businesses.
...

Newsom pointed to California’s shift to renewable resources as part of the reason for the supply shortage. Shutting down polluting gas power plants has created gaps in the state’s energy supply, he said.

While the state remains committed to a greener future, Newsom said, “We cannot sacrifice reliability” and promised that officials would be “much more aggressive … in making sure that is the case.”

Note to renewables / distributed energy advocates: this isn't some pie-in-the-sky fairy tale constructed to market green energy: this is reality. Renewables and distributed generation, which we are told are making the CAISO grid more reliable, are doing exactly the opposite - they're taking the grid down. Unreliability electricity has a price, and (as I suspected) Californians would have to learn the hard way what that price is.