It seems very likely that it is INSANE to considering high voltage lines at that cost.

I believe the FUNDAMENTAL problem is that California hardly builds any power plants, and so becomes increasingly reliant on moving electricity long ways from states that do have power plants. If we would build power plants on the other side of the areas that can be lit on fire, we wouldn't have to carry so much electricity across those areas and so would not need to have as many fires and/or blackouts. Its the modern stupidity:

* don't build power plants to save the environment, oops we burned down the environment

* don't build desalinization plants to save the ocean (nuts just on its face) oops none of our rivers actually make it all the way to the ocean anymore

* don't consider geoengineering to address global warming oops just doomed the poor and starving people of the world to be poor and starving for quite a while longer

Somebody wrote:
Some communities are looking at ... solar-plus-storage battery systems to fill gaps

I am amazed that people don't seem to realize you don't need to build solar to put in batteries to use as "peaker plants". You charge the batteries from the existing grid at night when electricity is cheap anyway, then they are available to use when you have an interruption in the ridiculous imports of power because utility companies can't afford to burn down any more mountains.

R: