Transmission

The Midwest Independent System Operator (MISO) which is responsible for operating the power grid across 15 U.S. states, including Minnesota has made troubling announcements about the possibility of rolling brownouts this summer. The summer peak forecast is 124 GW with 119 GW of projected regularly available generation within MISO. There are a variety of factors impacting this including the extreme temperatures, planned maintenance and outages and the retirement of coal and nuclear plants over the past year. Here are the top five things you need to know about this warning.

Transmission policy is a complicated business, and 2021 will involve a number of important policy debates. Transmission policy revolves around markets that ensure power reaches our homes and businesses, often crossing wide regions and crossing state lines. We refer to the regional power delivery system as the transmission or bulk electric grid. Coordinating energy supply and demand across wide regions involves complex policies for building out new transmission, ensuring reliable operation of the system, and regulating market activities on that system.

Since 2009, the cost of wind energy has fallen 69 percent, and solar prices have fallen 88 percent. And, according to a Bloomberg article, the price of storage has dropped 85 percent from 2010 – 2018. The low cost and high demand should be the ingredients for a perfect storm of development, fueling terrific job growth and economic development for rural communities.