Hey, this is a very good question -- thank you for asking. Part of the answer for wind power is the windiest spots in California have already been built out for decades -- the San Gorgonio Pass outside Palm Springs, for instance. Not that there aren't more places wind can be built, but the most economic remaining spots in the American West -- with the strongest winds -- are typically out of state. I get into that more in the Wyoming story: https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-08-23/wyoming-clean-energy-california.

With solar, it's definitely much more of a story about developers finding it easier to build in other states -- faster permitting, less environmental opposition, etc. Not that plenty of solar isn't still being built in California, and that there aren't conflicts and critics elsewhere. But your question gets at one of the real tensions here that needs to be worked through. Lots and lots of renewable energy needs to be built, to help maintain a habitable planet for all of us -- now how do we equitably share the costs and benefits of the energy transition?

Trying to help people think through those questions is why I launched Repowering the West: https://www.latimes.com/projects/repowering-the-west/. I hope you'll consider following along!