On April 9. 2024, the Energy Innovation Policy & Technology LLC and Grid Lab published “RECONDUCTORING WITH ADVANCED CONDUCTORS CAN ACCELERATE THE RAPID TRANSMISSION EXPANSION REQUIRED FOR A CLEAN GRID” and their Companion Policy Paper: “SUPPORTING ADVANCED CONDUCTOR DEPLOYMENT: BARRIERS AND POLICY SOLUTIONS.” Their reports advocate for leveraging advances in grid technologies, particularly reconductoring with advanced conductors, as a viable near-term solution to augment transmission capacity.
By deploying advanced conductors within existing corridors, reconductoring presents an efficient and cost-effective approach to scaling up grid infrastructure. This strategy enables the unlocking of stranded clean energy resources, particularly those in proximity to existing grid infrastructure, thereby facilitating the integration of renewable energy sources and advancing grid decarbonization goals. Using the latest energy cost data and cutting-edge grid modeling techniques, their reports quantify the cost, capacity gains, and contributions to meeting transmission needs associated with reconductoring using advanced conductors. Key findings underscore the potential of this solution to bridge the gap in transmission capacity, enabling the realization of clean energy targets by 2035.
Background: The transition towards clean energy sources in the United States is accelerating, driven by plummeting costs and rising demand from electrification, manufacturing, and data processing sectors. However, this transition is constrained by inadequate grid capacity, posing a significant challenge to achieving federal goals of 100% clean electricity by 2035. Despite the vast potential of renewable energy (RE) resources, grid expansion has lagged, with only a 1% annual growth in transmission capacity over the past decade. As a result, over 2 TW of generation and storage assets remain untapped in interconnection queues, exacerbating stress on the grid amidst escalating electricity demand and extreme weather events. Addressing this urgent need for increased transmission capacity requires both long-term policy reforms and immediate actionable strategies. While recent initiatives from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) aim to enhance planning and interconnection policies, their implementation will take time, necessitating concurrent near-term solutions.
Links to reports and data: https://www.2035report.com/reconductoring/