California had roving blackouts because the electric companies turned off power to customers so that it could disable electric equipment in wildfire-prone areas

California had roving blackouts because the electric companies turned off power to customers so that it could disable electric equipment in wildfire-prone areas. The blackout you noted from last year was the first one in two decades related to supply issues, and the 2020 supply issues were due to power companies deliberately delaying starting up gas-firing plants after the sun went down in an effort to blame renewables for the problem. Notably, after the CPUC threatened fines, the supply-related blackouts didn't happen again.