Utility Dive outlined key takeaways from a FERC conference considering the challenges of electrification, quoting AEE’s Jeff Dennis on electricity load specifics. Read snippets below and the full story here.

The electrification of transportation, heating and other end uses necessary for the United States to meet its decarbonization goals will require the country to double its electricity load by 2050, panelists said Thursday at a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission technical conference. With that additional load will come opportunities, responsibilities and challenges, they said.

The panelists frequently acknowledged the need to consider issues of equity, affordability and environmental justice throughout the energy transition. "If we don't address those issues, what are we doing? We're not accomplishing anything," said FERC Chairman Richard Glick…

With the United States now aiming to eliminate economy wide carbon emissions within 30 years, federal regulators announced the technical conference as a chance to initiate a dialogue "on how to prepare for an increasingly electrified future…” 

Utility loads could double by 2050

Just how much electricity load will increase between now and 2050 is uncertain, but many estimates indicate doubling is possible.

Jeff Dennis, managing director and general counsel of Advanced Energy Economy, pointed to a Brattle Group study which found that New England loads were likely to double across that time.

"Electrification will result in significant increases in electricity demand and the generation capacity needed to meet that demand," Dennis said, though "the pace of electrification and amount of energy required for building heating and other uses may vary by region."

Read the full article here.