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Published May 5, 2023

Understanding the transmission bottleneck | Catalyst with Shayle Kann

Shayle Kann delves into the U.S. power grid's transmission bottleneck with Rob Gramlich, exploring how congestion, interconnection delays, and limited capacity hinder renewable energy, while proposing reforms and drawing lessons from past transmission successes to facilitate the energy transition.
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  • Historical Successes

    The U.S. has a history of successful transmission build-outs that can guide current efforts. highlights past initiatives like ERCOT's Competitive Renewable Energy Zones and MISO's Multi-Value Projects, which effectively planned for future energy needs and allocated costs across beneficiaries 1. These projects demonstrate that with strategic planning and cost-sharing, significant transmission expansion is achievable. reflects on the historical context:

    In the seventies, there was a big transmission build-out... Then for years we did nothing.

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    This historical perspective underscores the potential for replicating past successes to address today's transmission challenges 2.

       

    Current Challenges

    Today's transmission expansion faces significant hurdles, but they are not insurmountable. identifies the three P's—planning, permitting, and paying—as key barriers, yet emphasizes that these can be overcome with proper strategies 3. He notes the importance of regional consensus and the involvement of governors to support transmission build-out 4. Despite the challenges, remains optimistic:

    This is not rocket science, damn it, we should do this now.

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    His confidence suggests that with coordinated efforts, the current bottlenecks can be resolved to facilitate the energy transition.

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