transmission
Background
One of the primary barriers to the continued development of solar generation is the lack of high-capacity transmission. To permit transmission, a developer must navigate a Byzantine system of federal, state, and local permitting regulations. Conflicting legal directives and policy goals between federal and state agencies result in much needed transmission lines wasting away in development purgatory. Transmission projects can take upwards of ten years to go from planning to in-service, if they can make it through the process at all. Meanwhile, consumers are paying for transmission service on aging infrastructure that is increasingly under threat from climate change.
Steps to Overcome Transmission Barriers to Solar Energy
To reduce barriers to the further expansion of utility‐scale solar, the following steps are needed:
- Transmission planning must be comprehensive and forward-looking, reflecting all drivers of energy supply and demand.
- Comprehensive transmission planning must be done both intra-regionally and inter-regionally. Permitting rules must be streamlined in order to allow for the timely development of transmission lines.
- A regional planning process must prioritize the planning, permitting, cost allocation, and construction of key foundational lines.
SEIA works with states, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the Department of Energy to act on these recommendations to streamline the transmission planning processes, allow for the integration of renewables into the grid, and coordinate planning efforts to create a stable and reliable regional transmission system. SEIA and other energy stakeholders are working to ensure that transmission planning and upgrades are an ongoing component of infrastructure legislation in Congress.
additional reading
Utility-Scale Solar
A renewable energy standard (RES) requires utility companies to source a certain amount of the energy they generate or sell from renewable sources such as wind and solar.
Harnessing the sun’s energy and converting it to electricity offers one of the most technologically viable and cost-effective means to produce pollution-free, sustainable power. Generating electricity at the scale necessary to achieve ambitious carbon emission reduction goals requires long-term planning for efficient and responsible project development.
To cost-effectively produce clean electricity, utility-scale solar (USP) power plants often cover a sizeable land area. This may require grading of the land and other alterations, including fencing and road construction, which can affect the habitats of local and migratory species.
Solar power plants, whether concentrating solar power (CSP) or photovoltaic systems (PV), offer pollution-free electricity generation with impacts on local water sources that are comparable to and often less than traditional fossil fuel generation.
Across the country state and federal leaders are doubling down on their clean energy goals, but distribution utilities and regional transmission organizations (RTOs) are struggling to keep up with overflowing interconnection queues. Without
our experts
Meet Our Experts
Praesent commodo cursus magna, vel scelerisque nisl consectetur et.
latest news
All News ->Federal, State, and Regulatory Policy News
Stay up-to-date on the latest clean energy policy news
