"Groups pushing for expansion of the nation's bulk power grid to improve access to development of the lowest-cost wind and solar energy got a new ally last month — the White House.

Less than a week after being sworn in, President Biden issued sweeping climate-focused executive orders that, among other things, directed federal agencies to look at ways to accelerate clean energy and transmission deployment (Energywire, Jan. 29).

The directive signals a willingness of Biden's Department of Energy to wade into an area that historically has been up to states: transmission siting and approval.

A mounting body of research says decarbonizing the grid and the U.S. economy requires a significant expansion of electric transmission. One of the most recent, a Princeton University study, says the country will need to expand transmission capacity 60% by 2035, and it more than triples by 2050 to support a net-zero economy (Energywire, Jan. 27)."

Jeffrey Tomich reports for E&E News February 11, 2021. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Canada Plans Hydropower Push As Biden Looks To Clean Up U.S. Grid" (Reuters) [3]

"Biden’s Green-Grid Timeline ‘Difficult’, Power Trade Group Says" (Bloomberg Green) [4]

"What Does a Green Grid Mean, and Can Biden Make One?" (Bloomberg) [5]