There is nothing sexy about the electric grid. 

It’s a thing we don’t think about — plug in your phone charger, flip on your lights, move on with your day. 

Maybe you have a vague idea of what’s powering it, some mix of fossil fuels and clean energy. Maybe not. 

But as climate-fueled catastrophes mount and Massachusetts pushes hundreds of thousands of residents toward electric heat and electric cars, what’s powering the grid has become an increasingly urgent question. For nearly three decades, the state has been slowly nudging out coal and oil and cobbling together enough climate-friendly energy to make steady but undramatic gains. But now, with deadlines looming and its larger climate plans at stake, Massachusetts must embark on an unprecedented sprint to build enough clean energy to complete a clean grid. Success is anything but certain. 

Among climate advocates and clean energy experts, the massive size and complexity of the effort the state must mount in the next seven years has caused considerable worry. But many, even while speaking of the long odds, say they hold to an optimistic view. 

“A lot of things have to go right, and a lot of work has to be done. But I do believe that it’s possible,” Jeremy McDiarmid, managing director for the clean energy advocacy organization Advanced Energy United, said of Healey’s 2030 goal. “I’d say the odds are hard, but not insurmountable.” 

Read the full article on The Boston Globe (paywalled) here.