NPR reports that several dams in Northern California will be demolished to allow salmon to return to natural breading grounds. The director of the power company states that the dams only produce 2% of the company’s power generation.
Meanwhile, California has pushed forward laws that prohibit sales of gasoline and diesel fueled lawn and landscape equipment. Gasoline and diesel powered vehicles are also expected to be replaced by electric within the next 10 years or so. Further, other laws require that new houses be built with electric heating, electric water heating and electric cooking appliances. All of these changes increase California’s need for electricity.
In other legislation, the state has approved residential zoning law change through its borders that prevents single home zoning. This means that if a builder or property owner has room on their parcel of land, they can build more than one house despite any zoning plan of the local community.
In cities like San Diego, where the median home price is $850,000, homeowners can now build a second home on their property and sell it without resistance from the city zoning commission. If taken to the extreme, the number of houses could double. And that would greatly increase the electrical consumption of California.
https://www.redfin.com/city/16904/CA/San-Diego/housing-market
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