Modern Transmission

What's it all about? As climate change gets worse and fossil fuels get more expensive, there is a vital need to reform our policies connected to transmission--the big power lines designed to move large amounts of electricity across the country--to get cleaner, more affordable energy resources delivered to consumers. An interconnected transmission network also increases grid resilience in the face of disruptions.

1. Queue Reform: Developers have proposed enough wind, solar and battery storage projects (290 gigawatts) to power the entire PJM region. Unfortunately, these projects wait so long for final approval in PJM’s “interconnection queue” that most are in danger of never getting built. We need to improve the approval process, and fast.

2. Storage as Transmission: Strong transmission policy isn't just about building more transmission. It's also about developing and using grid-enhancing technologies (GETs), like storage, that can improve reliability by serving as a backup during temporary outages. Storage as transmission can even be cheaper and quicker to build than traditional transmission lines.