> This is all fine if you retain backup fossil or nuclear power, or built transmission lines or batteries. That's unfortunately not how the politics always work

> This is all fine if you retain backup fossil or nuclear power, or built transmission lines or batteries. That's unfortunately not how the politics always work. My statements were made with reasonable assumptions about sanity in policy decisions. You are correct that those aren't always reasonable assumptions. :) In my area, it isn't unusual to see relatively small utility solar on vacant land next to substations. Its cheap to build, transmission lines are low cost due to small distances, the land wasn't being used anyway, and its basically just demand reduction from a grid pov. I suspect that economics change when they start putting huge installs 100 miles from anything in a desert, but I don't live in California.