“Grid-enhancing technologies” can squeeze a lot more power from the existing electric grid

[searcher]

“Grid-enhancing technologies” can squeeze a lot more power from the existing electric grid​

Reducing CO2 emissions in the coming decades to combat climate change will be a huge challenge, involving contentious policies and a complex mix of technologies. But numerous studies have highlighted a few key steps: Electrify as much possible. Supply that power with solar, wind, and other renewables. And greatly expand the capacity of grid and transmission systems to carry that electricity from far-flung locations to where it’s needed. Unfortunately, this last step presents a problem: New transmission lines are hugely expensive, time-consuming to build, and often face strong local opposition. And yet, in many countries, grid limitations are one of the biggest barriers to greatly expanding renewable energy.

That’s why there’s growing interest in so-called grid-enhancing technologies (GETs), a term first coined about 4 years ago by staffers at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). GETs make it possible to jam more power through existing electricity circuits. In principle, these technologies mean that today’s aging grids don’t have to impede the ambitious path to net-zero—at least in the near and medium term.

The current grid increasingly suffers from congestion, costing billions of dollars in extra electricity and often wasting wind or solar power due to bottlenecks. And yet, almost paradoxically, today’s transmission systems have significant untapped potential. “They are typically woefully underutilized,” says Ted Bloch-Rubin, director of business development for a company called Smart Wires in North Carolina.

More:

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2322803121

 

[chieftain]

I stopped reading after this:

That’s why there’s growing interest in so-called grid-enhancing technologies (GETs), a term first coined about 4 years ago by staffers at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)