(To get this story in your inbox, subscribe to the TIME CO2 Leadership Report newsletter here.) It’s been a long-standing investor assumption for decades: the electric utility sector acts as a ballast in a well-balanced portfolio. Investor-owned utilities are generally less volatile than companies in other sectors, and they tend to generate consistent profits, which they return to shareholders via dividends. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The Maui wildfires, which killed more than 100 people and caused billions in damages, are the latest in a string of similar catastrophes to test that assumption.