This report documents the widespread impacts of power shutoffs in California and the drawbacks of conventional solutions. Vote Solar documents the risks of relying on dirty BUGs, including deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning, hazardous air pollution, and, ironically, fire hazards. We then show how solar + storage -- resilient clean energy -- can be used to cost-effectively provide small-, medium-, and large- scale solutions to reduce the harm from power shutoffs. Most importantly for state and local policymakers, Vote Solar proposes a suite of policy solutions needed to secure a resilient clean energy future.

The following are the recommended policy solutions:

• Maintain and expand distributed energy policies.
• Focus on medically vulnerable communities.
• Focus on low-income communities and communities of color.
• Focus on critical facilities and schools.
• Provide state financing for local infrastructure.
• Take microgrid R&D to the next level.
• Integrate energy resilience into emergency planning and response.