Renewable energy dependence could lead to rolling blackouts in Michigan this summer

Trotter's concerns come after the Midcontinent Independent System Operator's seasonal assessment found "capacity shortfalls in both the north and central regions of MISO… leaving those areas at increased risk of temporary, controlled outages to preserve the integrity of the bulk electric system," JT Smith, the MISO executive director, told NPR earlier this week.That reality could lead to controlled outages in Michigan this summer, a step MISO said has never been taken in the state before.TEXAS POWER GRID OPERATOR URGES RESIDENTS TO CONSERVE ENERGY AS PLANTS GO OFFLINEMISO said an unusually hot summer in the state will stress the grid, with MISO projecting a peak forecast of 124 gigawatts, higher than the current 119 GW of available power generation.But hot weather isn't the only reason Michigan could face an electrical shortfall this summer, with Trotter telling Fox News that too many traditional power plants are being shut down as grid operators attempt to switch over to renewable sources of energy."With the rise of solar and wind, it’s highly dependent on external factors that are not controllable," Trotter said. "There’s this focus on a much more long-term solution to replace it with renewables," he added, but argued that those solutions are "years or decades away from being able to replace the coal."Michigan Republican State Rep. Jack O'Malley told Fox News that he has seen a similar issue, arguing that the pace traditional plants are closing is likely too ambitious.STAYING SAFE DURING EXTENDED POWER OUTAGES: WHAT TO DO IN THE ABSENCE OF HEAT, REFRIGERATION AND ELECTRICITY"What we have is a generation problem," O'Malley said. "I am all for renewable, but we also have to look at what makes sense," O'Malley said.The problem is not just limited to Michigan, with electric-grid operators from across the country warning of similar issues in other regions.CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPCalifornia's grid operator warned last week that extreme heat and wildfires over the summer could lead to a shortage of energy, while Texas has been plagued by issues with its grid in recent years."Every market around the world is trying to deal with the same issue," Brad Jones, the interim chief executive of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, told the Wall Street Journal last week.