Fixing the U.S.’s Old Electrical Grid
The United States’ old electrical grid system has long been a major issue for those who have pushed for more clean energy. However, now the grid may stop being such a problem for green advocates.
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The Biden administration has announced plans to modernize and update various parts of the country’s grid.
Working With States
This new initiative will combine the forces of the federal government and at least 21 state governments.
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This project intends to push for faster fixes on the grid, as well as overall improvements. The initiative wants to build a modern and bigger grid system, which could help reduce the amount of power outages seen around the country.
Increasing Electrical Transmission
However, this White House initiative also wants to try to increase the overall electrical transmission capacity that the grid currently has.
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By modernizing the grid and allowing for more transmission capacity to be done, the Biden administration is hoping to clear one roadblock to relying on more clean energy in the future.
A Rise of Power Outages
The country has seen some incredibly severe — and, in some cases, deadly — power outages in various parts of the nation in the past few years.
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A new report from Climate Central found that power outages as a result of weather will likely rise, thanks to a combination of stronger storms and old, aging infrastructure.
Getting More Clean Energy on the Grid
This White House move comes as the administration has struggled to push clean energy measures. Currently, the U.S. has more clean energy electricity waiting to get on the electrical grid than the actual amount that is on the grid.
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This is because the infrastructure cannot handle this high amount of energy. Instead, the grid needs to have modern high-voltage transmission lines — one of the things that the White House is now pushing for.
The U.S. May Need More Energy
At the moment, the U.S. has been relatively flat when it comes to electricity demand. However, that will likely soon change, according to many analysts.
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Data centers and AI demand quite a lot of energy, as do electric vehicles. If this new initiative can successfully modernize the country’s grid and infrastructure, this massive amount of additional energy will help this upcoming demand.
States Looking For Modernization
Already, many states are jumping at the chance to modernize their infrastructure and grid. State leaders from Arizona, Kentucky, New York, and Pennsylvania, among others, have announced their intent to push for modernization.
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This initiative will allow the federal government to provide technical and monetary assistance to states. States can apply for federal loans to help build these new modern transmission lines for their grid.
Pushing For Change
While this initiative is beneficial for those who want to utilize clean energy, it’s also a step forward for keeping the grid safe and secure. Ali Zaidi, the White House national climate adviser, touched on these topics.
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In a statement, Zaidi said, “We are investing tens of billions — the most significant public investment in a generation — to strengthen our grid to prevent power outages in the face of extreme weather, bolster US energy security, and drive innovation.”
Steering Clear of Power Outages
Other than allowing more clean energy to run the electrical grid system of the country, this new initiative has been welcomed by analysts as it can help the U.S. potentially steer clear of power outages.
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This announcement was made on the same day that at least 600,000 Texans lost power because of severe storms and tornado activity.
A Push For More Action
For a while now, industry leaders have been pushing for the U.S. grid and infrastructure to be modernized. FERC chairman Willie Phillips has further pushed for more action.
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“Our country’s aging grid is being tested in ways that we’ve never seen before,” Phillips said. “Without significant action now, we won’t be able to keep the lights on in the face of increasing demand, extreme weather, and new technologies.”
An Upcoming Announcement
This announcement of a push to modernize the country’s grid will occur at a summit featuring industry groups, electric regulators, and states.
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The White House and the Department of Energy will make this announcement together.