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| Distributed generation, like this solar facility in Hawaii, could reduce the need for new transmission lines. Credit: SunPower / NREL |
Our electricity system depends on transmission infrastructure, and our
clean energy future may well depend on the development of new and upgraded
transmission lines. This blog series has explored the significance of the transmission system and one way (forming an RTO) to manage the system better for greater regional benefits. This
final post explores three ways to advance a clean energy future while
minimizing the need for new transmission investments.
1. Build Locally
One way to reduce the need for new transmission is to produce more electricity locally. Our current transmission system carries
electricity to us from power plants that may be hundreds of miles away. While
it may be desirable to build some lengthy transmission lines to reach distant
renewable energy sources, the need for new lines can potentially be offset by
siting power sources near demand.
One way to build local is to encourage distributed generation, such as rooftop solar. This requires encouraging individuals and businesses to produce
their own renewable energy on-site. For example, in Oregon, one key policy
driving rooftop solar is the Residential Energy Tax Credit. If the legislature fails to extend the tax credit beyond its 2017 sunset date, Oregon is likely to
see fewer rooftop solar installations and more need for costly transmission
investments.
2. Invest in New Technologies, like Ocean Energy
Ocean energy, including wave energy and tidal energy, is an under-developed
resource that would enable much more local energy production along the
coasts. As I’ve discussed previously, over half of the U.S. population lives within 50
miles of a coastline. According to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, wave energy alone could feasibly meet almost a third of the
U.S.’s energy needs. Oregon could build short transmission lines out to ocean
energy facilities along its coast instead of building lines hundreds of miles
long to reach out-of-state resources, like wind farms in Wyoming.
At the forefront of marine energy development, Oregon has enacted a policy
position that recognizes the importance of ocean energy. In 2015,
the legislature passed a law (now codified as Oregon Revised Statute § 757.811)
to mandate that “any regional planning processes . . . adequately consider the
transmission of electricity from ocean renewable energy.” While more research
and development is needed to bring more ocean energy sources online, Oregon has
taken one important step towards smarter transmission planning through this
law.
3. Leverage Existing Infrastructure, like Railroads, for
Transmission Lines
Electrifying the railroad system offers another way to
develop the transmission we need while minimizing the cost and environmental
impacts. Instead of paying for expensive siting procedures to, for example, minimize impacts on wildlife, we can leverage the existing railroad system by
integrating new transmission lines into the railroads. Electric lines can carry
more electricity than the trains need, allowing the railroads to serve as both
a clean transportation strategy and a ready transmission solution.
A campaign called Solutionary Rail is advocating for railroad electrification as a way to revitalize
rural communities, provide a ‘just transition’ for railroad workers needing employment as the industry moves
away from predominantly shipping fossil fuels, and to provide the key
transmission infrastructure we need to connect to distant renewable energy sources. For example, the campaign is pushing first
for the electrification of the BNSF Northern Transcon line between Seattle and
Chicago. Electrifying this line could provide several benefits, including the transmission
necessary for distant wind farms in Wyoming to reach power-hungry urban
centers, like Seattle.
Electrified railroads are already a possibility; about half the rail lines in Europe are electric. Even just using existing railroad rights-of-way
as a place to co-site transmission lines would facilitate an easier siting
process. The U.S. should start looking to the future and invest, for the
benefit of its environment, its economy, and its communities.
To attain a clean energy future, the U.S. needs to invest in
its transmission system. By building locally, investing in new technologies
like ocean energy, and leveraging existing infrastructure like railroads, we
can build a better transmission system and a better world.
