Extreme drought could cost California half its hydroelectric power this summer

Image: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

California's supply of hydroelectricity is expected to be halved this summer. The US Energy and Information Administration said in its forecast that it was bad news for residents. Natural gas will likely be used to make up for the shortfall in hydropower.

According to the map, nearly 60 percent of California is currently in some form of extreme or worse drought. California's current water problems are caused by low levels of the state's snow covered mountains. The water content of the state's snowpack was 40 percent lower than normal over the past 30 years.

Image: Richard Heim, NOAA/NCEI

Two of California's most important water storages, Lake Oroville and Lake Shasta, were already critically low by early May. We haven't even reached the summer, when the weather could become even more punishingly dry and hot and demand for air conditioning places extra stress on the power grid.

In the US, hydropower is a significant source of energy. It makes up 15 percent of California's electricity generation, according to the EIA. The EIA says that will drop to 8 percent this summer.

California can sometimes buy hydropower from other states. Gas may have to be filled in the gaps because Washington State and Oregon are dealing with the same problem. Electricity prices in the Western US will likely go up over the next few months according to the EIA. Carbon dioxide emissions in the energy sector will go up in California because of the dry spell.

California is no stranger to bad weather, but this year has gotten worse. The first few months of the year were the driest in over 100 years. In an effort to reduce the state's water consumption, the Governor has asked Californians to take five-minute showers instead of baths and to sweep their lawns instead of hosing them down. Local governments are mandating water cuts. Many residents in the Los Angeles area will only be allowed to water their lawns once a week.

It could become difficult for the US to rely on hydropower as a clean energy source as climate change shapes a future. The nation relied on hydropower for a third of its electricity. The Biden administration wants the US power grid to be carbon pollution-free by the year 2035.