If you heard angry shouts of protest last month, it was likely your neighbors opening their electricity bills. These echoes of protest reverberated even more loudly in March when PG&E proudly proclaimed record-breaking profits for 2023. Its announcement struck a particularly sour chord among already struggling customers, given that the California Public Utility Commission gave the utility company the green light for a staggering 25% rate hike — a bitter pill to swallow, especially in the face of soaring energy prices and nationwide inflation. But while many may instinctively point accusatory fingers at this utility giant, the real architects of this painful reality are not the board members of PG&E but instead our leaders who walk the hallowed halls of Sacramento. These politicians cling stubbornly to their allegiance to costly and unreliable green energy mandates, turning a stubborn blind eye to proven and more affordable alternatives, such as nuclear energy and natural gas.

For well over a decade, California’s politicians have tinkered with the state’s energy market, pulling strings to mandate and subsidize the adoption of renewable sources like wind and solar. While this might sound like a noble endeavor on the surface, the reality is far less rosy. Taxpayers are left footing the bill for these subsidies while consumers face the harsh reality of ever-increasing electricity and natural gas costs.

Indeed, these pro-green energy policies have led to exorbitant utility rates far above the national average. For perspective, Californians shell out a staggering 32 cents per kilowatt-hour due to these expensive policies. This rate stands in stark contrast to the national average of 18 cents. A study by Energy Sage calculates that the average California household is paying more than $3,200 annually just to turn the lights.

PG&E, in its own right, is not innocent in this affair, charging an even heftier 40 cents per kilowatt-hour, most likely pricing in the costs of their lawsuit-driven bankruptcy. Yet, despite these eye-watering costs, the state’s relentless march towards renewable energy sources has made the problem worse, with renewables accounting for up to 40% of energy production in 2021. A move that has only caused prices to go even higher.