Transmission

Transmission

The US just made its biggest-ever investment in the grid

The power grid is not ready to handle the energy transition — or extreme weather. The Biden administration hopes $3.5B in new investments will fix that.

By Jeff St. John . 18 October 2023
Solar

California looks to add solar and transmission along highways

Many states are building solar next to highways. Only one uses them as transmission corridors. A new bill orders California to explore both options.

By Jeff St. John . 4 October 2023
Transmission

The US is building power lines faster, but not fast enough

Major transmission lines and grid plans have been approved in the past two years. But they're just 10 percent of what the country needs to decarbonize its grid.

By Jeff St. John . 18 September 2023
EV charging

The grid isn't ready for the EV boom. Can better data fix that?

Utilities lack the necessary data to plan ahead for the coming influx of EV charging. A new data-sharing consortium could help them overcome that obstacle.

By Jeff St. John . 7 August 2023
Clean energy

FERC takes a big step to get more clean energy on the US grid

Clean energy groups welcome major interconnection reform — but also warn the U.S. won't be able to clean up its grid without a huge expansion of transmission.

By Jeff St. John . 31 July 2023
Transmission

Large swaths of the US grid could be vulnerable to blackouts this summer

Soaring temperatures could cause widespread electrical outages as power generation fails to keep up with demand.

By Nathaniel Scharping . 19 June 2023
Transmission

US clean energy rollout continues to be hamstrung by grid challenges

Recent efforts at permitting reform have done little to address the well-known issues of inadequate transmission and jam-packed interconnection queues.

By Akielly Hu . 13 June 2023
Transmission

One path to more power lines? Make US grid operators share more

With transmission snubbed in the recent debt ceiling deal, grid experts say "minimum transfer capacity" requirements are key to getting more power lines built.

By Jeff St. John . 5 June 2023
Transmission

A backed-up grid threatens clean energy growth from Virginia to Illinois

A new NRDC report warns that backlogs at PJM could undermine state decarbonization targets if the grid operator doesn't undertake decisive reforms soon.

By Jeff St. John . 30 May 2023
Transmission

California has a new $7.3B plan to fix its transmission problems

The state’s grid operator unanimously approved the plan — a crucial step in California’s bid to modernize a grid that lags behind its climate goals.

By Jeff St. John . 22 May 2023