There is no doubt about it – “reconductoring” is enjoying a (well-deserved!) moment in the sun. Thanks to mainstream media attention for the 2035 and Beyond: Reconductoring Report produced by GridLab, UC Berkeley, and Energy Innovation, inclusion of advanced conductors in the FERC 1920 transmission planning rule and the 21-state grid modernization initiative from the White House, and state bills passed in Virginia and Montana, reconductoring is “the word of the moment,” in the words of Energy Gang co-host Amy Myers Jaffe. Given the ability of reconductoring with advanced conductors to up to double the carrying capacity of existing lines in the same footprint without having to build costly new infrastructure, GridLab is committed to educating stakeholders on this important tool in the energy transition toolbox and supporting regulators, legislators, and other grid decision makers on the deployment of advanced conductors. Here are a few highlights from this effort:
- The 2035 and Beyond: Reconductoring report, which synthesized a year’s worth of research and analysis by GridLab, Energy Innovation, and UC Berkeley, made headlines with its April release and topline finding: deploying advanced conductors could nearly double the amount of electricity running through America’s grid.
- The Washington Post: “How a simple fix could double the size of the U.S. electricity grid”
- The New York Times: “The U.S. Urgently Needs a Bigger Grid. Here’s a Fast Solution”
- The Wall Street Journal: “The Aging U.S. Power Grid Is About to Get a Jolt”
- GridLab Executive Director Ric O’Connell traveled to the White House in May to speak at a launch event for the Modern Grid Deployment Initiative alongside partners, Department of Energy officials, and thought leaders in the transmission space. Advanced conductors and other grid-enhancing technologies dominated the agenda and followed on the heels of FERC’s landmark transmission planning rule 1920, which also featured reconductoring.
- GridLab Senior Program Manager Casey Baker presented on advanced conductor technology, benefits, economics, and recent legislative case studies from Montana and Virginia to the Council of State Governments Midwest which covers lawmakers and staff from 11 midwestern states and four Canadian provinces. GridLab has also supported educational sessions for California legislators and government staff on advanced conductors as the state considers Senate Bill 1006 which is aimed at requiring California utilities to study advanced transmission technologies.