Grid Watchdog Warns of Potential Blackouts, Criticizes ‘Less Reliable’ Solar and Wind Power

Natural gas-powered generators are ‘essential’ for meeting power demands as they provide consistent output, a recent report states.

Wind turbines operate at a wind farm near Whitewater, Calif., on Feb. 22, 2023. Mario Tama/Getty Images

The retirement of fossil fuel-based power generators and the increasing adoption of renewable energy over the next decade puts the United States’ electricity reliability at risk, according to a recent report by power grid watchdog North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC).

“[There’s] clear evidence of growing resource adequacy concerns over the next 10 years,” the Dec. 13 report reads.