![]() ![]() “The concept of a smart, responsive grid didn’t exist back then, and it does now,” Abhyankar said. ![]() Fortunately, the infrastructure is already being put in place. With the costs of wind turbines, batteries, and other clean energy technologies falling rapidly, utilities are developing new business models to profit from the transition.īut the shift still requires a commitment from policymakers: The Berkeley study calls for a federal clean energy mandate, government financing for early coal plant retirements, longer-lasting renewable energy tax credits, and other measures. And the next phase in the growth of the grid could happen more quickly and at a lower cost than in the past. US president Joe Biden’s climate plan hinges on the $2 trillion infrastructure bill his administration is currently hammering out with Congress, which aims to pour money into grid upgrades.įortunately, the rate of growth for electricity demand (in terawatt-hours per year) in the aggressive scenario is 2.2%, a hair less than historical rates according to Abhyankar. Given that today’s grid was built gradually over the last century, and a decentralized system will be more difficult to manage, there’s little time to waste. A separate Princeton study in 2020 projected that grid transmission lines will need to expand by 60% by 2030 to connect all the new decentralized sources of supply (solar and wind, in particular) and demand (EVs, electric heat pumps, and other appliances). Electric Grid Imports More Chinese Transformers in 20. To meet the climate challenge, the country will need to return to a serious grid-growth mentality. (Notice that Executive Order 13920, which was issued in response to real nation-state supply chain cybersecurity threats to the US grid, was suspended on January 20, 2021.) U.S.
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