Why the California Power Grid is Hurting Businesses and Consumers

 

California electricity provider PG&E has cut power to millions of state residents in an unprecedented maneuver to avoid another wildfire disaster. The company’s preventative power outage may save lives, but it will take a toll on the state’s economy.

Some estimates claim the blackout could have an economic impact of more than $2 billion. Cuts planned for Monday could leave approximately 800,000 PG&E clients, which totals 2.7 million people, in the dark.

Small businesses are particularly affected by this blackout because they do not typically have the infrastructure or budget to accommodate such a stark fall in business over what could be more than one full business week.

On Business Casual, hosts Tyler Kern and Geoffrey Short discussed the impact of this power outage on the California economy, and what industries will have the hardest time working through it.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

filmmaking
Lights, Camera, Authenticity: Why Trusting Your Voice Is the Most Radical Move in Film Today
February 3, 2026

The entertainment industry is at a crossroads, where questions of access, authorship, and technological disruption are reshaping who gets to tell stories—and how those stories get made. From the rise of AI-assisted tools to ongoing conversations about representation and gatekeeping, filmmaking today is as much about identity and equity as it is about craft….

Read More
AI in energy
May the Agentforce Be With You: AI in Energy Services
February 3, 2026

Generative AI has moved past being a shiny demo and into the messy reality of enterprise operations—where data lives in different systems, customers expect instant answers, and security teams (rightfully) say “prove it.” In energy services specifically, even small efficiency gains matter: many retail energy providers operate on thin margins, and operational blind spots—billing…

Read More
Energy billing
Nightmare on Revenue Street: Energy Billing Edition
February 3, 2026

Energy billing is one of those things most people only think about when something goes wrong—an unusually high charge, a missing bill, a surprise shutoff notice, or a rate plan that suddenly doesn’t make sense. With smart meters, more complex pricing options, and different rules in regulated vs. deregulated markets, even a small breakdown…

Read More
career coaching
Work-Based Learning & Career Coaching with Strada Education: Closing the Gap Between Education and Opportunity
February 2, 2026

As higher education faces mounting pressure to demonstrate clear career outcomes, institutions are rethinking how learning connects to work and the role of career coaching in that process. Employers continue to report skills gaps, students are questioning the return on investment of a degree, and states are demanding stronger alignment between postsecondary education and…

Read More