LAX analysis: Is SJ’s 100% renewable-powered airport reliable?

Days ago, the Los Angeles International Airport, servicing over 130,000 passengers/day, struggled to operate during a power outage. Likely, says Jennifer Oliver O'Connell off RedState, LAX opted for fossil fuel-generated energy to get things running again: a big Newsom no-no (unless it’s him giving the order). San Jose’s major airport (SJC) relies fully on intermittent “green” sources; but is that path sustainable, trustworthy, and emergency-resilient?

According to FlightAware, by 3:15, there were 140 delays and 64 cancelations. Whether these were a result of the power outage is yet to be revealed. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) came in to resolve the issue and took to Twitter to assure that it was not due to any rolling blackouts….

Herein lies the danger of an all-electronic universe. LADWP kicked in with the most likely gas-powered backup generators to ensure essential resources stayed online, but ultimately, things ground to a halt for a period of time. No terminal to tower interfaces, no TSA capabilities, and people even had to climb down from the planes because jet bridges lost power. This was just one hour of lost power. Imagine if it the duration had been longer….

Under a groundbreaking new state regulation, 35% of new 2026 car models sold in California must be zero-emissions, ramping up to 100% in 2035. Powering the vehicles means the state must triple the amount of electricity produced and deploy new solar and wind energy at almost five times the pace of the past decade.

The Air Resources Board enacted the mandate last August — and just six days later, California’s power grid was so taxed by heat waves that an unprecedented, 10-day emergency alert warned residents to cut electricity use or face outages. The juxtaposition of the mandate and the grid crisis sparked widespread skepticism: How can the state require Californians to buy electric cars if the grid couldn’t even supply enough power to make it through the summer?

At the same time as electrifying cars and trucks, California must, under state law, shift all of its power to renewables by 2045. Adding even more pressure, the state’s last nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon, is slated to shut down in 2030.

Power outages like this one at LAX are a stark reminder that California is nowhere near ready for an all-electric future when it cannot even handle power management today.

This article originally appeared in Red State. Read the whole thing here.

Follow Opportunity Now on Twitter @svopportunity