Transmission: The 800kV Gorilla

We asked on a recent Interchange episode: how are we going to manage all this distributed energy on the grid?

This week, we’re asking: how to we manage all this centralized renewable energy hitting the grid?

The answer is both simpler and more complex. We need to build a lot more transmission, yes. But getting that transmission in place is one of the hardest and most controversial pieces of decarbonizing the electric grid.

There’s plenty of disagreement about how exactly we clean up the grid. Whatever your preferred plan, it probably needs to include way more transmission infrastructure -- like $600 billion worth by 2050.

This week, we’re going to look at why lots of transmission is needed, how much is actually needed, and if we can even build it. What are the current models telling us?

Recommended reading:

• New York Times: Missouri Regulators Approve Midwest Wind Energy Power Line
• Utility Dive: Electrification could drive $600B in transmission spending by 2050
• GTM: Siemens Buys Transmission Line to Take Iowa Wind to the Eastern Grid

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