Explainer: US agency to unveil plan to ease power transmission crunch

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Reuters

May 10, 2024 4:30 PM EDT Updated 12 hours ago


WASHINGTON, May 10 (Reuters) - The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is expected on Monday to issue a final rule to address the crunch in U.S. electricity transmission as the grid struggles to connect enormous amounts of clean power while demand surges.

The long-awaited rule will attempt to ensure that a dozen fragmented U.S. regions adopt long-term plans to bring more transmission online. It will seek to coordinate state and local regulations and utility plans on ways to split costs among states for the build-out.

President Joe Biden's administration has a goal of a carbon-free power sector by 2035. To meet that, the country needs to more than double regional transmission capacity and expand interregional transmission capacity more than fivefold, a U.S. Department of Energy study said in November.

The U.S. also needs to reverse a steady decline in transmission investments, the study said.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-agency-unveil-plan-ease-power-transmission-crunch-2024-05-10/

[Think. Again.]

1. I believe INCREASING electric usage...

...is the wrong direction to go in, no matter what type of generation plant it comes from.

[BumRushDaShow]

2. I think much of the increase is due to a population increase

But in the OP's case, it's to actually promote the INTER-CONNECTION of all these siloed electric plants, which could conceivably reduce the need for increased power generation by instead doing more "sharing" of (surplus) power between the existing regions. That would require some kind of "transmission" infrastructure (which would obviously need to be hardened against environmental effects and "nefarious actor" attacks).

[Think. Again.]

3. I agree, population explosion...

Last edited Sat May 11, 2024, 09:12 AM - Edit history (1)

...(4 BILLION in 50 years!!!) and the heavy-use data centers are the core of our energy-use increases, but we're doing nothing to eliminate the wasted energy use we've grown accustomed to, which really bothers me as it will be necessary to re-adjust our usage habits to fully transition away from CO2 emissions (unlimited growth in a limited system just isn't a possibility).

And thanks for pointing out the need for interconnectivity, I wasn't thinking about how revamping the transmission lines would help with that and it IS an excellent point.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. "but we're doing nothing to eliminate the wasted energy use"

If that unused/surplus energy could be stored in some type of huge capacitor-type unit constructed at or near the power plants, that stored power could also be redirected and/or surged somewhere on an "as needed" basis. That is where transmission between grids would really be helpful.

For the current situation, EPA actually had a nice page and map of the grid (EPA tracks the emissions coming from the power generation facilities) - https://www.epa.gov/green-power-markets/us-grid-regions



DOE's grid info - https://www.energy.gov/oe/learn-more-about-interconnections

[Think. Again.]

5. Yes, storage will be a huge part of the non-CO2 energy industry...

...but I was talking wasted energy, energy that is used but serves no beneficial purpose, shopping malls and office buildings lit up all night during non-business hours, 2 or 3 digital clocks in our kitchens, electronic billboards on sparsely used highways, plug in air fresheners for Pete's sake, etc., etc, etc.

Waste. I think I read somewhere that about 65% of the energy burned serves no actual need, or needs that could be easily accomplished passively, and a lot of that isn't even serving any purpose at all- machines on idle out of laziness, etc.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. Well with the replacement of incandescents with LEDs

the "waste" has been greatly reduced. And in the case of some lighting situations like towers, it's obviously to avoid aircraft collisions (not just jets). Similarly, street/pedestrian lighting is continually being improved to not get wasted shining into the sky but down to where it's needed in an effort to reclaim some dark sky.

IMHO, at least in terms of the LED revolution, that has made a huge difference in energy waste - particularly since incandescents were also generating and losing heat, which made them good for this -

[Think. Again.]

10. Yes, LEDs have been great to reduce needed light energy use...

...now if we can only take a hard look at eliminating the wasted energy we burn through.

[reACTIONary]

7. FYI - Batteries...

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/05/07/climate/battery-electricity-solar-california-texas.html?unlocked_article_code=1.rE0.2ov2.YrHBTPnL5QAm&smid=url-share

Giant Batteries Are Transforming the Way the U.S. Uses Electricity
They’re delivering solar power after dark in California and helping to stabilize grids in other states. And the technology is expanding rapidly.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. Yup

From what I understand, those with solar for their homes, there are already various storage options on the smaller scale - https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/articles/should-i-get-battery-storage-my-solar-energy-system

[reACTIONary]

11. Thanks -That's useful information (nt)

[Farmer-Rick]

6. When the US sold off most of our electrical infrastructure

To corporations for pennies on the dollar, (deregulation baby) that pretty much ended most transmission investments.

Instead of investing in new equipment or capacity, corporations played accounting games to increase their profits. They dramatically increased costs to customer and encouraging cons and swindles like Enron while orchestrating grid failures like Texas' 2021 debacle.

This is how capitalism works. Choke off the supply so you can charge a premium rate for doing less. It's how privatized infrastructure always goes.

Here in my area, our bought out corporate electric company closed down a hydroelectric plant after buying it off of the state. Every thunderstorm, every cold season, every day it gets over 100 degrees F, my electricity goes out. You can count on it.

Capitalism working to bring the filthy-rich more and everyone else a lot less.

[myohmy2]

12. I don't know...

...if I like the Idea of my Blue State's dependable power grid getting tied into a Red State's dilapidated grid...

...I get a feeling my efficient Union paid crews are going to get even more dispensed to red-neck areas...

...my dependable service is going to drop and I'll be paying more for less...

...if we're going to electric vehicles I guess we'll have to improve the grid...

...couldn't we wait until I die first...?

...