Today, there are 12 different transmission planning regions, all of which except for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas ERCOT are under the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission FERC.

Yet, only six of them are full Regional Transmission Organizations RTOs — sometimes referred to as Independent System Operators, a nuanced distinction and yet another acronym that we shall spare the readers from — with the mandate and authority to conduct transmission planning for their region.

The remaining five planning regions in the West and Southeast are much more loose associations of dozens of vertically integrated utilities, which tend to plan transmission mostly with just their own local territories or balancing authorities in mind.

Illustration of major planning boundaries within the US power grid. The United States does not. This type of fragmented planning framework is highly problematic, because the power grid is under growing stress from climate change-related extreme weather.

The associated weather patterns are much larger than our current fragmented grids and grid planning regions, which therefore struggle with the coordinated response needed to future-proof our vital power supply system. Number of hours below freezing during Winter Storm Uri Feb , Last year, FERC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking NOPR that, if adopted, will go a long way in fixing many of the hurdles that plague planners within the 11 FERC transmission planning regions.

However, the Commission has yet to take similarly strong action to fix planning between those regions. As a first important step, FERC convened a host of experts on December 5 and 6, to discuss how it can help improve this type of inter-regional planning.

From more efficient power plant operation on normal days to ensuring the lights will stay on even during the most challenging periods, inter-regional transfer capability means that neighbors can efficiently share resources and help each other out in a pinch.

However, several key questions remain, three of which are summarized below. First, FERC was asking whether it should mandate a minimum amount of power transfer capability between regions, or if it should require a planning process for neighboring regions to figure out the right transfer capability between them for themselves.

Rob Gramlich, founder and president of Grid Strategies, advocated for a hybrid approach. This would include both a minimum floor set by FERC and provide for a robust inter-regional planning process, through which neighboring regions would jointly identify additional beneficial inter-regional transmission solutions.

Others added that harmonized regional planning standards set by FERC are also desperately needed to facilitate joint planning between willing regions on an equal footing. In Singapore, construction has begun on two cross-island transmission cable tunnels, the culmination of years of ongoing improvements and modification to the country's infrastructure.

Gibraltar has strictly organized its electricity grid, devoting two of its three power-generating stations to civilians, and the third to its Ministry of Defense sector. Finland 's government has approved initiatives for a long-term climate and energy strategy, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on imported electricity.

The ten-year grid capital investment program will include 30 new substations and more than 1, miles of new transmission lines. The Energiewende marked a sea change in Germany's energy policy, with a new focus on supply and distributed power generation, increasing energy-saving measures and overall efficiency.

Iceland has taken advantage of its location in the center of a volcanic hot zone by creating an efficient and sustainable energy infrastructure based on geothermal and hydroelectric power. A discovery of natural gas deposits in Israel has allowed the country to dramatically reduce its reliance on coal power.

Trinidad and Tobago have also capitalized on natural gas resources. Home to one of the largest natural gas processing facilities in the Western Hemisphere, their entire electrical system is fueled by two combined cycle natural gas power plants. Although Malaysia continues to be a major oil and gas producer, it is also at the forefront of research into biofuels, biomass, solar energy and hydroelectric power.

Small in land area but massive in economic power and energy demands, Singapore makes the most of its power grid. Distributing Power Effectively In most developed countries, electric power transmission consists of large-scale movement of electrical energy from power plants, or other generating sites, to electrical substations.

Cutting-Edge Technology In , Singapore's Energy Market Authority EMA embraced smart grid technology by launching their pilot smart grid test program, the Intelligent Energy System IES. Government Support In Singapore, construction has begun on two cross-island transmission cable tunnels, the culmination of years of ongoing improvements and modification to the country's infrastructure.

Utilizing Natural Resources Iceland has taken advantage of its location in the center of a volcanic hot zone by creating an efficient and sustainable energy infrastructure based on geothermal and hydroelectric power. Making Commitments to Renewable Energy Although Malaysia continues to be a major oil and gas producer, it is also at the forefront of research into biofuels, biomass, solar energy and hydroelectric power.

As the world works to transition toward a clean energy economy, the electric grid will increasingly need to run from where wind and solar farms are constructed to where electricity is used. If the electric grid grows slowly, a scenario which the IEA called the "Grid Delay Case," then an extra almost 60 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions will be released between and , the IEA says.

That is equal to the amount of emissions the power sector across the entire world has released over the past four years, the IEA says. In this case, global temperature averages in would be "well above" 1. Part of the challenge is that transmission lines take so long to build, especially compared to other parts of the energy infrastructure.

Building new transmission lines takes between five and 15 years, with planning and permitting included. By contrast, new renewable energy projects take between one and five years, and new infrastructure for charging electric vehicles takes less than two years, the IEA says.

Therefore, investing in transmission line infrastructure improvement and growth must happen now or it will become an ever larger and more limiting factor in global decarbonization plans. Building transmission lines globally needs to be an issue of international cooperation, the IEA says.

This allows transmission of AC power throughout the area, connecting a large number of electricity generators and consumers and potentially enabling more efficient electricity markets and redundant generation.

The combined transmission and distribution network is part of electricity delivery, known as the " power grid " in North America , or just "the grid. Although electrical grids are widespread, as of [update] , 1. About million people mostly in Africa , which is ca.

Electrical grids can be prone to malicious intrusion or attack; thus, there is a need for electric grid security.

Also as electric grids modernize and introduce computer technology, cyber threats start to become a security risk. A microgrid is a local grid that is usually part of the regional wide-area synchronous grid but which can disconnect and operate autonomously.

This is known as islanding , and it might run indefinitely on its own resources. Compared to larger grids, microgrids typically use a lower voltage distribution network and distributed generators. A design goal is that a local area produces all of the energy it uses.

A wide area synchronous grid , also known as an "interconnection" in North America, directly connects many generators delivering AC power with the same relative frequency to many consumers. For example, there are four major interconnections in North America the Western Interconnection , the Eastern Interconnection , the Quebec Interconnection and the Texas Interconnection.

In Europe one large grid connects most of continental Europe. A wide area synchronous grid also called an "interconnection" in North America is an electrical grid at a regional scale or greater that operates at a synchronized frequency and is electrically tied together during normal system conditions.

Synchronous grids with ample capacity facilitate electricity market trading across wide areas. In the ENTSO-E in , over , megawatt hours were sold per day on the European Energy Exchange EEX. Each of the interconnects in North America are run at a nominal 60 Hz, while those of Europe run at 50 Hz.

Neighbouring interconnections with the same frequency and standards can be synchronized and directly connected to form a larger interconnection, or they may share power without synchronization via high-voltage direct current power transmission lines DC ties , or with variable-frequency transformers VFTs , which permit a controlled flow of energy while also functionally isolating the independent AC frequencies of each side.

The benefits of synchronous zones include pooling of generation, resulting in lower generation costs; pooling of load, resulting in significant equalizing effects; common provisioning of reserves, resulting in cheaper primary and secondary reserve power costs; opening of the market, resulting in possibility of long-term contracts and short term power exchanges; and mutual assistance in the event of disturbances.

One disadvantage of a wide-area synchronous grid is that problems in one part can have repercussions across the whole grid. For example, in Kosovo used more power than it generated due to a dispute with Serbia , leading to the phase across the whole synchronous grid of Continental Europe lagging behind what it should have been.

The frequency dropped to This caused certain kinds of clocks to become six minutes slow. A super grid or supergrid is a wide-area transmission network that is intended to make possible the trade of high volumes of electricity across great distances. It is sometimes also referred to as a mega grid.

Super grids can support a global energy transition by smoothing local fluctuations of wind energy and solar energy. In this context they are considered as a key technology to mitigate global warming. Super grids typically use High-voltage direct current HVDC to transmit electricity long distances.

The latest generation of HVDC power lines can transmit energy with losses of only 1. Electric utilities between regions are many times interconnected for improved economy and reliability. Electrical interconnectors allow for economies of scale, allowing energy to be purchased from large, efficient sources.

Utilities can draw power from generator reserves from a different region to ensure continuing, reliable power and diversify their loads. Interconnection also allows regions to have access to cheap bulk energy by receiving power from different sources.

For example, one region may be producing cheap hydro power during high water seasons, but in low water seasons, another area may be producing cheaper power through wind, allowing both regions to access cheaper energy sources from one another during different times of the year.

Neighboring utilities also help others to maintain the overall system frequency and also help manage tie transfers between utility regions.

Electricity Interconnection Level EIL of a grid is the ratio of the total interconnector power to the grid divided by the installed production capacity of the grid. Electricity generation is the process of generating electric power from sources of primary energy typically at power stations.

Usually this is done with electromechanical generators driven by heat engines or the kinetic energy of water or wind. Other energy sources include solar photovoltaics and geothermal power. The sum of the power outputs of generators on the grid is the production of the grid, typically measured in gigawatts GW.

Electric power transmission is the bulk movement of electrical energy from a generating site, via a web of interconnected lines, to an electrical substation , from which is connected to the distribution system.

This networked system of connections is distinct from the local wiring between high-voltage substations and customers. Because the power is often generated far from where it is consumed, the transmission system can cover great distances. For a given amount of power, transmission efficiency is greater at higher voltages and lower currents.

Therefore, voltages are stepped up at the generating station, and stepped down at local substations for distribution to customers.

Most transmission is three-phase. Three phase, compared to single phase, can deliver much more power for a given amount of wire, since the neutral and ground wires are shared. However, for conventional conductors one of the main losses are resistive losses which are a square law on current, and depend on distance.

Transmission networks are complex with redundant pathways. The physical layout is often forced by what land is available and its geology. Most transmission grids offer the reliability that more complex mesh networks provide. Redundancy allows line failures to occur and power is simply rerouted while repairs are done.

Substations may perform many different functions but usually transform voltage from low to high step up and from high to low step down. Between the generator and the final consumer, the voltage may be transformed several times.

The three main types of substations, by function, are: [26]. Distribution is the final stage in the delivery of power; it carries electricity from the transmission system to individual consumers. Substations connect to the transmission system and lower the transmission voltage to medium voltage ranging between 2 kV and 35 kV.

Primary distribution lines carry this medium voltage power to distribution transformers located near the customer's premises. Distribution transformers again lower the voltage to the utilization voltage.

Customers demanding a much larger amount of power may be connected directly to the primary distribution level or the subtransmission level. Distribution networks are divided into two types, radial or network. In cities and towns of North America, the grid tends to follow the classic radially fed design.

A substation receives its power from the transmission network, the power is stepped down with a transformer and sent to a bus from which feeders fan out in all directions across the countryside.

These feeders carry three-phase power, and tend to follow the major streets near the substation. As the distance from the substation grows, the fanout continues as smaller laterals spread out to cover areas missed by the feeders. This tree-like structure grows outward from the substation, but for reliability reasons, usually contains at least one unused backup connection to a nearby substation.

This connection can be enabled in case of an emergency, so that a portion of a substation's service territory can be alternatively fed by another substation. Grid energy storage also called large-scale energy storage is a collection of methods used for energy storage on a large scale within an electrical power grid.

Electrical energy is stored during times when electricity is plentiful and inexpensive especially from intermittent power sources such as renewable electricity from wind power , tidal power and solar power or when demand is low, and later returned to the grid when demand is high, and electricity prices tend to be higher.

As of [update] , the largest form of grid energy storage is dammed hydroelectricity , with both conventional hydroelectric generation as well as pumped storage hydroelectricity.

Developments in battery storage have enabled commercially viable projects to store energy during peak production and release during peak demand, and for use when production unexpectedly falls giving time for slower responding resources to be brought online.

Two alternatives to grid storage are the use of peaking power plants to fill in supply gaps and demand response to shift load to other times. The demand, or load on an electrical grid is the total electrical power being removed by the users of the grid.

Baseload is the minimum load on the grid over any given period, peak demand is the maximum load. Historically, baseload was commonly met by equipment that was relatively cheap to run, that ran continuously for weeks or months at a time, but globally this is becoming less common.

The extra peak demand requirements are sometimes produced by expensive peaking plants that are generators optimised to come on-line quickly but these too are becoming less common.

However, if the demand of electricity exceed the capacity of a local power grid, it will cause safety issue like burning out. Grids are designed to supply electricity to their customers at largely constant voltages. This has to be achieved with varying demand, variable reactive loads, and even nonlinear loads, with electricity provided by generators and distribution and transmission equipment that are not perfectly reliable.

In a synchronous grid all the generators must run at the same frequency, and must stay very nearly in phase with each other and the grid. Generation and consumption must be balanced across the entire grid, because energy is consumed as it is produced.

For rotating generators, a local governor regulates the driving torque, maintaining almost constant rotation speed as loading changes.

Energy is stored in the immediate short term by the rotational kinetic energy of the generators. Although the speed is kept largely constant, small deviations from the nominal system frequency are very important in regulating individual generators and are used as a way of assessing the equilibrium of the grid as a whole.

When the grid is lightly loaded the grid frequency runs above the nominal frequency, and this is taken as an indication by Automatic Generation Control systems across the network that generators should reduce their output. Conversely, when the grid is heavily loaded, the frequency naturally slows, and governors adjust their generators so that more power is output droop speed control.

When generators have identical droop speed control settings it ensures that multiple parallel generators with the same settings share load in proportion to their rating. In addition, there's often central control, which can change the parameters of the AGC systems over timescales of a minute or longer to further adjust the regional network flows and the operating frequency of the grid.

For timekeeping purposes, the nominal frequency will be allowed to vary in the short term, but is adjusted to prevent line-operated clocks from gaining or losing significant time over the course of a whole 24 hour period. An entire synchronous grid runs at the same frequency, neighbouring grids would not be synchronised even if they run at the same nominal frequency.

High-voltage direct current lines or variable-frequency transformers can be used to connect two alternating current interconnection networks which are not synchronized with each other. This provides the benefit of interconnection without the need to synchronize an even wider area.

For example, compare the wide area synchronous grid map of Europe with the map of HVDC lines. The sum of the maximum power outputs nameplate capacity of the generators attached to an electrical grid might be considered to be the capacity of the grid.

However, in practice, they are never run flat out simultaneously. Typically, some generators are kept running at lower output powers spinning reserve to deal with failures as well as variation in demand. In addition generators can be off-line for maintenance or other reasons, such as availability of energy inputs fuel, water, wind, sun etc.

or pollution constraints. Firm capacity is the maximum power output on a grid that is immediately available over a given time period, and is a far more useful figure. Most grid codes specify that the load is shared between the generators in merit order according to their marginal cost i. cheapest first and sometimes their environmental impact.

Thus cheap electricity providers tend to be run flat out almost all the time, and the more expensive producers are only run when necessary.

Failures are usually associated with generators or power transmission lines tripping circuit breakers due to faults leading to a loss of generation capacity for customers, or excess demand. This will often cause the frequency to reduce, and the remaining generators will react and together attempt to stabilize above the minimum.

If that is not possible then a number of scenarios can occur. A large failure in one part of the grid — unless quickly compensated for — can cause current to re-route itself to flow from the remaining generators to consumers over transmission lines of insufficient capacity, causing further failures.

One downside to a widely connected grid is thus the possibility of cascading failure and widespread power outage. A central authority is usually designated to facilitate communication and develop protocols to maintain a stable grid.

For example, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation gained binding powers in the United States in , and has advisory powers in the applicable parts of Canada and Mexico. The U. government has also designated National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors , where it believes transmission bottlenecks have developed.

A brownout is an intentional or unintentional drop in voltage in an electrical power supply system. Intentional brownouts are used for load reduction in an emergency.

The term brownout comes from the dimming experienced by incandescent lighting when the voltage sags. A voltage reduction may be an effect of disruption of an electrical grid, or may occasionally be imposed in an effort to reduce load and prevent a power outage , known as a blackout.

A power outage also called a power cut , a power out , a power blackout , power failure or a blackout is a loss of the electric power to a particular area. Power failures can be caused by faults at power stations, damage to electric transmission lines, substations or other parts of the distribution system, a short circuit , cascading failure , fuse or circuit breaker operation, and human error.

It evolved from a one-way power flow delivery system, to an electrical system that keeps as much electricity connected during major weather events, so that afterwards, repairs are quicker and targeted. Chandran said a systemwide approach and investment in innovative technology for power distribution is necessary to reduce vulnerability.

Among the solutions he recommended were PulseClosing Technology Figure 1 , lateral automation, and underground fault detection and restoration.

The IntelliRupter PulseCloser Fault Interrupter allows users to locate and isolate faults, and restore power to customers from an alternate source—with or without communications—while avoiding voltage sags.

To get the most bang for the buck, companies with limited budgets should start by implementing lateral automation technology. By replacing fuses with automation, they can reduce the frequency and duration of outage events. Chandran said FPL has been investing heavily in building a stronger, smarter grid for decades, and he believes the benefits have far outweighed the costs.

In April, the WATT Coalition Working for Advanced Transmission Technologies , a coalition of companies interested in bringing technology solutions to the U. electric transmission system to improve reliability and efficiency, published a page paper by The Brattle Group titled Building a Better Grid: How Grid Enhancing Technologies Complement Transmission Buildouts.

The research considered three grid-enhancing technologies GETs : Dynamic Line Ratings DLR , Flexible Alternating Current Transmission Systems FACTS , and Transmission Topology Control. The paper explains that DLR is a representative application that tries to better address the transfer capability of individual lines.

Meanwhile, FACTS—a common category of power electronics—based devices that allow for flexible and dynamic control of transmission systems—are examples of hardware solutions focusing on controlling the flow, and is functionally similar to phase-shifting transformers, also known as phase-angle regulators.

Furthermore, they complement transmission buildouts by enhancing the utility of transmission infrastructure instead of eliminating or replacing it.

The research quantified how GETs reduce costs and improve transmission system planning and operations at all stages of transmission development. The faster and more strategically the U. is able to increase transmission capacity, the lower the cost to the planet and the ratepayers.

Featured Categories. Wind and solar have expanded from less than 1 percent to 6 percent. Since , coal has declined from 50 percent of net generation to just 30 percent, while natural gas has grown from 19 percent to 34 percent. Penetration of variable renewable energy sources is expected to continue.

In , 32 percent of utility-scale capacity additions net summer capacity were wind and solar, and by , wind and solar are projected to make up 19 percent of net power generation. Twenty-nine states plus the District of Columbia have a renewable portfolio standard that requires a certain share of generation from renewable sources, with many states requiring 25 percent or more renewable generation by a target date.

Successfully integrating variable renewable resources into the grid requires substantial investments in transmission and distribution infrastructure. Declining battery costs and state policies are projected to drive sales of battery electric vehicles to 6 percent of total light-duty vehicle sales by , up from slightly less than 1 percent in Energy Work America's energy infrastructure is a key driver of job creation, growth and competitiveness throughout the economy.

Download the Full Report. Severe weather events — hurricanes, severe storms and floods — represent the most significant threat to overall grid reliability.

The US power grid is, in fact, highly fragmented and consists of not one, but three different sections. These are called the Eastern, Western, and ERCOT interconnections — three separate power grids that are almost completely isolated from one another, electrically speaking.

To make matters worse, the high-voltage, long-distance electric transmission lines that form the backbone of each of these grids are largely planned in even greater local isolation.

Today, there are 12 different transmission planning regions, all of which except for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas ERCOT are under the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission FERC.

Yet, only six of them are full Regional Transmission Organizations RTOs — sometimes referred to as Independent System Operators, a nuanced distinction and yet another acronym that we shall spare the readers from — with the mandate and authority to conduct transmission planning for their region.

The remaining five planning regions in the West and Southeast are much more loose associations of dozens of vertically integrated utilities, which tend to plan transmission mostly with just their own local territories or balancing authorities in mind.

Illustration of major planning boundaries within the US power grid. The United States does not. This type of fragmented planning framework is highly problematic, because the power grid is under growing stress from climate change-related extreme weather.

The associated weather patterns are much larger than our current fragmented grids and grid planning regions, which therefore struggle with the coordinated response needed to future-proof our vital power supply system.

Number of hours below freezing during Winter Storm Uri Feb , Last year, FERC issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking NOPR that, if adopted, will go a long way in fixing many of the hurdles that plague planners within the 11 FERC transmission planning regions.

However, the Commission has yet to take similarly strong action to fix planning between those regions. As a first important step, FERC convened a host of experts on December 5 and 6, to discuss how it can help improve this type of inter-regional planning.

From more efficient power plant operation on normal days to ensuring the lights will stay on even during the most challenging periods, inter-regional transfer capability means that neighbors can efficiently share resources and help each other out in a pinch.

However, several key questions remain, three of which are summarized below. First, FERC was asking whether it should mandate a minimum amount of power transfer capability between regions, or if it should require a planning process for neighboring regions to figure out the right transfer capability between them for themselves.

Rob Gramlich, founder and president of Grid Strategies, advocated for a hybrid approach. This would include both a minimum floor set by FERC and provide for a robust inter-regional planning process, through which neighboring regions would jointly identify additional beneficial inter-regional transmission solutions.

Others added that harmonized regional planning standards set by FERC are also desperately needed to facilitate joint planning between willing regions on an equal footing.

Second, the panelists debated whether FERC should set a minimum requirement based on a simple metric. The EU for instance simply asks its member states to enable at least 15 percent of installed electricity production capacity to be deliverable to their neighbors by However, some panelists argued that complex modeling, potentially involving supercomputers, was needed to robustly quantify all the diverse benefits of improved inter-regional connectivity.

Others pointed out that the reliance on simplified metrics, such as the common 1 day in 10 years loss of load expectation standard used for resource adequacy modeling, has long been an established practice in power system planning.

It is an established FERC principle, affirmed by the courts, that costs should be allocated at least roughly commensurate with the benefits received.

Furthermore, the cost allocation question here is closely connected to the modeling debate: how precise can and should the expected benefits of new inter-regional links be calculated to allow for a fair and at least roughly commensurate cost allocation?

Expanding the power grid is necessary for integrating more renewables. MasTec builds the infrastructure that connects the US power generation to consumers.

Expanding the grid is critical for integrating more renewables. WESCO helps the power grid expand and adapt to a growing integration of clean energy. A key Drawdown solution for a more resilient and green grid.

Sunnova provides residential solar and energy storage systems in the United States. Both are critical for electrifying the energy system. SPC makes transformers and cooling equipment for power generation and transmission - expanding the grid helps to integrate more renewable energy.

Willdan helps utilities with new construction, improve efficiency, and demand response - all valuable in expanding and making the grid more resilient.

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