As the federal government turns its back on the clean energy transition, gutting decades of progress with the passage of the Trump ugly budget bill, California now stands alone at a critical crossroads. With federal incentives slashed and funding for renewable projects drying up, the burden of clean energy leadership has shifted squarely onto Sacramento.

The Governor, Legislature and the renewable energy industry now face perhaps our most consequential challenge yet: to deliver clean, affordable, and resilient energy for California in a time of growing national retreat and global uncertainty.

The question is whether we will rise to meet this moment and set an example for the rest of the nation or let it pass us by.

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California needs to think strategically about its electric grid and how it can be redesigned to reduce costs while maximizing clean energy abundance. In California, clean energy is increasingly cheaper because the state benefits from abundant sunshine, strong wind resources and years of investment in renewable infrastructure.

Falling costs for solar panels, wind turbines and battery storage, combined with the absence of fuel expenses, mean that new renewable projects can deliver power at lower prices. In today’s market, this makes clean energy the most sustainable and cost-effective option for California’s grid.

The Legislature is rising to the challenge and has identified realistic and effective solutions for energy efficiency and affordability. Three of priority bills this year are focused on expanding grid capabilities quickly and safely while cutting costs.

Senate Bill 254 is the Legislature’s most ambitious effort in decades to reign in utility costs. It addresses the costs of wildfire prevention efforts, applying innovative financing approaches to reduce the cost of new grid investments, scrutinizing utility spending and rate proposals more rigorously compared to an inflation benchmark, making it faster and cheaper to build more clean energy resources, and directing more assistance to low-income utility customers through CARE and FERA. It’s estimated to save $20 billion over ten years.

SB 540 enables California to join other western states in launching a multi-state energy market that will lower electricity costs, reduce the risk of rolling blackouts and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

By sharing resources with neighboring states, California can export some of its extra renewable energy on mild days instead of it going to waste and rely on energy from our neighbors on the hottest summer evenings when our grid is stressed.

The California Energy Commission estimates this will save $10 billion over the next decade.

We can also save money and reduce fossil fuel usage by reducing peak demand and efficiently using distribution grid infrastructure – as much as $13.7 billion by 2030 according to a GridLab report.

SB 541 focuses on these opportunities to leverage demand-side flexibility, enabling homes and businesses to adjust electricity usage in real time. With the right policies, technologies like distributed batteries, smart thermostats and EV chargers empower consumers to contribute to grid stability, lowering peak demand so we don’t have to turn on the dirtiest and most expensive peaker plants to meet the highest demand peaks.

Summer heat waves routinely expose the fragility of California’s aging energy grid, reminding us that work to strengthen the grid must continue. The state faces surging electricity bills, worsening grid instability and escalating risks from extreme weather events. From the Central Valley to Los Angeles, families face painful tradeoffs between paying for groceries or electricity.

Meanwhile, energy-intensive industries like artificial intelligence push demand ever higher.

Unless Sacramento steps up now, Californians risk planning their summers around rolling blackouts instead of family vacations.

It is essential that our efforts be a public private partnership to succeed.  The work we have been doing with the clean energy advocacy group Deploy Action and the research from organizations like GridLab are the types of efforts that will help instruct the legislature on where and how we need to find creative solutions to the vexing problem of growing energy demand.

Over two decades, California has proven clean energy leadership and economic growth can go hand in hand. The state has boldly demonstrated that it’s possible to reduce emissions while growing the economy. But today’s goal is broader and more pressing: affordable power, a grid Californians can count on and infrastructure built to support tomorrow’s economy without sacrificing reliability today. This is not just a policy moment; it is a test of vision, courage and commitment to the future Californians deserve.

State Sen. Josh Becker is chair of the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications and represents District 13. Jigar Shah, founder of Deploy Action, formerly led clean energy investments as director of the U.S. Department of Energy Loan Programs Office.