Advanced Energy Perspectives

The need to deploy vast new supplies of advanced energy technologies to achieve a 100% clean electricity system and power the transportation and building sectors with clean electricity is well documented. Expanding the nation’s electric transmission infrastructure — the long-distance high-voltage lines that deliver electricity in bulk from generation resources to local distribution networks — is a key part of achieving that goal. A variety of challenges stand in the way of transmission expansion, ranging from weak planning processes, to fights over who will pay the cost of new lines, to local permitting and siting issues. Addressing these challenges will require policy changes not just at the federal level, where recent attention has been focused, but also in states and local communities.

America is re-thinking the way it powers its homes and businesses, and we’re seeing this debate emerge in state legislatures, at public utility commissions, at county and city councils, and in our own kitchens and living rooms. This is because changing appliance economics and performance, consumer preferences, and state and local policies are driving support for clean, efficient, and affordable electric technologies. It is also because a realistic look into the future of energy indicates that we can expect a dramatic decline in the use of natural gas, and an unwieldy and expensive transition if we fail to plan for it.