REsurety’s Post

The electric grid is at a transformational moment, as highlighted by FERC Chair Willie Phillips. With phenomenal load growth from a domestic manufacturing boom, data centers growth, driving an AI revolution, and expanding electrification, the grid faces challenges and opportunities. Phillips emphasized the aging infrastructure, economics, and state policies leading resources to retire, marking a crucial inflection point in the resource mix. #ElectricGrid #Transformation #AIRevolution

In Loudoun County, Virginia, rapid data center growth is creating tension with the state's zero-carbon goals. Recently, the county initially denied, then approved a scaled-back proposal for a new data center due to power supply concerns. This highlights the challenge of balancing expansion with sustainability. Dominion Energy, Virginia’s largest utility, predicts significant energy demand from data centers, planning new natural gas plants to meet this need. However, this approach conflicts with the state’s decarbonization targets. Environmental groups advocate for alternatives like demand response programs and battery storage, emphasizing the need for clean energy solutions. As data centers' energy consumption is set to surpass the airline industry's, the focus must be on supporting growth without compromising our environmental goals. #ai #digitalinfrastructure #energytransition #sustainability

As we consider the innovative technology needed to push the energy transition forward, we shouldn’t lose sight of the things we can do right now in the 207 to make the grid we already have work better. A quick insight into GETS!

There are a few good methods for getting more out of the existing grid-- advanced conductors is one of them. Grid enhancing technologies (GETs) can be deployed even faster. Ultimately we'll need to utilize a combination of all of these tools, including GETs, advanced conductors, and new line (and tower) builds.

Article Summary: - The potential of using carbon fibre to replace traditional steel and aluminium cores in conductors, could significantly increase transmission capacity without compromising design safety. - This material innovation will allow more efficient and extensive use of renewable energy by being able to send more power down transmission lines. - Despite the evident benefits, adopting these technologies on a large scale still requires significant obstacles. - The big blockers stated in the article are the industry's risk-averse nature, the decentralised grid in the U.S., and regulatory barriers. - The true hurdle isn't the technology itself but our collective capacity to adapt and integrate these new solutions into our existing frameworks, systems, policies and mindset.

Our Net-Zero Ambitions Have Evolved – Power Grids Should Too

Infrastructure that can meet the demands of a clean power system is going to take a lot of work; not just money, but the challenge of physically deploying such a system at a time of enormous and growing demand, while the actual operating complexities and expectations are also changing. This is a time, I think, of very exciting change. This article from The Economist - only a 5 min read - takes a global view of the transition and worth a read if understanding the power system we depend on and how it is changing floats your boat. Steve Atkins Sarah Kerr David Lynch Jason Taylor Sharon Taylor Andrew Clark Mollie Atherton Suzanne Conn Phil Brennan Katie Privett Ross Lowrie Karen Oliver-Spry https://lnkd.in/e2H_cXye

The amount of clean power and batteries seeking to be built could, at least in theory, provide plenty of headroom for U.S. grids to meet the forecasted growth in demand. These five charts from Berkeley Lab's latest report demonstrate that: https://bit.ly/3wm4la4 #cleanenergy #transmission

The electric grid is essential to the clean energy transition, but our existing system isn’t cutting it. With increasing demands, it's time to use new technologies to get more out of our existing grid—like replacing power lines with advanced conductors—while we expand the grid to meet the needs of the 21st century.

Supply-side innovations like these can accelerate shifting the burden of low-carbon electricity from individual buildings to the grid and utility providers.