This could happen through designating national interest energy transmission corridors and using FERC authority to guarantee development rights in critical areas.īuilding the grid of the future will require both federal money and authority. Overcoming such challenges will require complementary policy to streamline a socially responsible and environmentally sound approval process. In some cases, projects may be tied up in approval by state regulators or litigation for years. This is particularly relevant for interstate and interregional projects, which are essential for the integration of renewable energy supply and demand across long distances. Siting transmission lines can often be a prolonged, contentious and expensive undertaking. The scale of the challenge is compounded by issues related to siting. High-voltage transmission capacity would also need to increase by 60% by the end of this decade, requiring an estimated $360 billion in transmission investments. This corresponds to an annual deployment rate of 60 GW per year over the next decade - roughly double the 35 GW added in 2020’s record-setting year. Princeton University’s Net Zero America study found that 600 gigawatts (GW) of new wind and solar must be built by 2030 to achieve a high-electrification scenario. While upgrading and expanding the transmission system is a central component of modernizing the energy grid, the current pace of deployment for clean electricity generation and high-voltage transmission is too modest to meet the nation’s low-carbon goals. Investments should also go toward other energy infrastructure such as grid-scale energy storage, microgrids, advanced metering, demand response and other smart grid technologies.Īt the Flatirons Campus in Arvada, Colorado, researchers are testing grid technology to increase transmission and improve electrical stability. Modernizing the electricity grid requires massive investments in the grid hardware necessary to move electricity, including through high-voltage transmission. When the grid fails to provide essential energy services, the impacts on individuals and communities are severe and potentially life-threatening.Ī 21st-century electricity grid needs to be resilient enough to handle extreme and frequent weather events integrate a growing share of utility-scale clean energy resources like solar and wind support distributed energy resources, including electric vehicles, distributed solar and energy storage and meet evolving customer needs that prioritize control over energy consumption and cost. grid is woefully unprepared to handle cyberthreats and extreme weather events like heat waves or winter storms. The nation’s aging transmission and distribution system needs a significant overhaul. This kind of federal investment in the energy grid can help the United States meet its climate goals and generate significant economic opportunities across the country. grid and deploy more clean energy requires further investment and climate ambition, particularly to achieve the scale contained in the Biden administration’s American Jobs Plan.Ĭongress should not only enact the infrastructure bill, but also realize the full Build Back Better agenda by moving forward with a budget reconciliation package that invests in the energy grid and clean energy technologies at the necessary scale for the challenge at hand. However, realizing its commitment to modernize the U.S. The bill is a substantial accomplishment and an essential step toward transforming the energy sector. 3684) represents a historic investment of about $550 billion in new spending over five years on the nation’s infrastructure, including in the energy grid. The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. A modern, clean electricity grid is foundational to ensuring the United States is resilient in the face of a changing climate and can achieve a net-zero energy future by 2050.
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