In February, the governors of ten western states met in Portland to discuss the power problem in the northwest. Oregon governor John Kitzhaber and Washington governor Gary Locke were there, along with California governor Gray Davis. No concrete resolutions were made. The former energy secretary Bill Richardson ordered northwest power companies to continue selling power to California, despite the fact that the power companies there might go bankrupt. You might not realize it, but all of our energy really comes from the sun.
Solar energy causes water in the ocean to evaporate, giving it potential energy.
The water then falls in the form of rain or snow. When the water gets into rivers and streams, it becomes potential energy. The water powers turbines that create the electrical energy that comes right into your home, and the computer screen your reading right now. Nobody knows for sure. We've had high pressure sitting off the coast, a pattern we generally see in the summertime, when it is drier.