We hear a lot about renewable energy these days, especially emerging technologies like wind and solar. Most of us appreciate the potential these technologies hold for our energy future, and we understand the challenges they can bring in terms of cost and reliability. Yet, we often overlook one of the most important challenges in bringing renewable energy online - how to actually get the energy generated from a windmill to a television or refrigerator miles away.
That's where modernization and expansion of our electric grid comes in. As we outlined in our recent report, Unfinished Business: The Missing Elements of a Sustainable Energy and Climate Policy, our current grid is plagued by disjointed transmission planning processes and 20th century technology that hinders our ability to deliver electricity in a reliable way, much less handle an inflow of new renewable sources or electric cars.