Brattle Consultants Examine the Challenges & Opportunities Associated with Meeting Load Growth Surge in New Whitepaper
The US electric system is facing an unprecedented surge in demand, and massive amounts of new resources and grid capability will be required to keep pace with the load growth needed for data centers, reshoring, and electrification. However, major obstacles – from aging infrastructure and supply chain bottlenecks to outdated planning processes – pose serious challenges to scaling the system quickly enough.
In a new whitepaper, Brattle Principals Dr. Sam Newell, Ryan Hledik, and Johannes Pfeifenberger discuss the implications of this rapid growth and outline approaches for meeting it cleanly, reliably, and affordably. They discuss system-wide challenges and solutions across four key areas – resource adequacy, transmission, rate design, and emissions – and share strategies and insights for key industry participants.
Key solutions discussed in the paper include:
- Expanding demand-side and supply-side opportunities
- Better utilizing and cost-effectively expanding the capacity on the grid through grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) and more optimized interconnection and planning
- Developing new business models such as energy parks and micro- or macro-grids
- Designing rate structures to enable growth and fair and efficient allocation of costs
The paper, “Meeting Unprecedented Load Growth: Challenges & Opportunities,” is available below.
