Challenges in Achieving a Renewable-Powered U.S. Electric Grid
The promise of a U.S. electric grid dominated by renewable sources like wind, solar, and geothermal energy remains unfulfilled, despite economic advantages that make clean energy cheaper than fossil fuels in numerous areas. The hurdles appear to lie not in technology or financial support but in governmental and regulatory inefficiencies.
According to the Washington Post, clean energy initiatives face delays due to complex local and federal regulations, prolonged grid connection waits, and community opposition. Rob Barnett, a senior analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, notes, “The U.S. offshore wind business is at a very nascent stage versus Europe or China,” highlighting the impact of new permitting pauses on industry progress.
The Inflation Reduction Act raised hopes for significant clean energy contributions to the grid, predicting annual additions of 36 to 46 gigawatts of clean electricity from 2023 to 2025. However, the Rhodium Group reported only 27 gigawatts added in 2023, suggesting growth may fall short of expectations. Trevor Houser of Rhodium Group acknowledges the difficulty, saying, “It actually is really hard to build a lot of this stuff fast.”
Challenges extend to the interconnection queue, a bottleneck that delays projects from connecting to the grid. The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory indicates it can take up to three years for projects to pass through this system. The PJM grid operator had over 3,300 projects awaiting approval at the end of 2023, predominantly renewable applications.
Amid these challenges, some developers look to repurpose old fossil fuel sites already connected to the grid. Meanwhile, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has introduced rules to expedite transmission line construction. Yet, the existing grid infrastructure is a limiting factor, with only 255 miles of new transmission lines built in 2022.
Sandhya Ganapathy, CEO of EDP Renewables North America, points out that the current grid “was never designed to handle this kind of load.” The lengthy approval process for new projects, spanning six to eight years, also deters investment. Ganapathy questions, “Why are we taking a big risk of a massive investment if I will not be able to sell the electrons?”
Initially, experts envisioned the U.S. generating up to 80 percent of its power from clean sources by the end of the decade. Now, according to the Washington Post, there are doubts about reaching even 60 percent.
Original Story at news.slashdot.org