Biden administration partners with 21 states on grid modernization initiative

The Biden administration on May 28 launched a joint grid modernization initiative with 21 states in connection with an aspirational goal to upgrade 100,000 miles of existing transmission lines over the next five years.

The goal, announced by the US Department of Energy in April, is part of a push to spur the widespread adoption of grid-enhancing technologies, or GETs, as utilities see rapid demand growth driven by datacenters, heat pumps and vehicle electrification.

"That happens if we move the conversation past the abstract," White House domestic climate policy adviser Ali Zaidi said during a May 28 summit with utility executives and GETs vendors. "That's why we've set a goal of 100,000 miles to try to get after a hopefully achievable target that we can get done together."

According to the US Energy Information Administration, the US transmission grid consists of about 700,000 circuit miles of lines.

Anna Lising, a senior energy policy adviser to Washington Governor Jay Inslee, emphasized that the state's aggressive climate policies will ultimately hinge on the performance of the electric grid.

Washington state now requires all-electric space and water heating in new commercial and multifamily construction, Lising said. The new building code standards are tied to legislative mandates for a 100% carbon-free power grid by 2030 and carbon-neutral economy by 2050. The state has also adopted California's zero-emissions vehicle standards that prohibit the sale of gas-powered passenger vehicles starting in 2035.

As a result, Washington state's power demand is expected to double over the next 20 years.

"Basically, we can't do it without these technologies," Lising said. "I don't know how to put a finer point on it."

The overnight deployment of grid-enhancing technologies such as dynamic line ratings and advanced power flow controllers could boost the existing US electric grid's capacity by an incremental 20 GW to 100 GW, according to a DOE report released in April. However, the report noted that more large-scale deployments are needed for advanced transmission technologies to achieve commercial liftoff.

From pilot projects to 'full rollout'

Jigar Shah, director of the DOE's Loan Programs Office, stressed the importance of moving beyond pilot projects.

"One of the big challenges that we have in doing these big things is to convince folks that this is the time to move from pilot to a full rollout," Shah said during the May 28 event.

Hudson Gilmer, CEO of DLR provider LineVision, noted that the US is "a long way off" from achieving the Biden administration's 100,000-mile goal.

DLRs, which use real-time sensors to measure wind speed and line sag, allow existing transmission lines to operate at a higher capacity. DLR sensors can be installed on transmission towers in as little as 30 minutes, but the process of operationalizing the technology can take nine to 12 months, Gilmer noted.

Gilmer said just two US utilities have fully operationalized DLRs to date: PPL Corp. subsidiary PPL Electric Utilities Corp. and National Grid subsidiary National Grid USA.

In February, PPL reported that the deployment of DLRs on two of it 230-kV lines in Pennsylvania is projected to reduce transmission congestion by more than 65% from 2025 to 2028. The reduction in congestion prompted the PJM Interconnection, the mid-Atlantic's regional grid operator, to remove the two lines from its market efficiency planning process.

A DLR deployment on National Grid's transmission system in western New York is expected to reduce wind curtailments in the region by 350 MW and increase grid capacity by 190 MW.

Matthew Gardner, vice president of transmission for Dominion Energy, said the utility is increasingly looking to grid-enhancing technologies to manage record demand growth. Demand within Dominion subsidiary Virginia Electric and Power Co.'s service territory, home to an area known as "Datacenter Alley," is expected to double over the next 15 years, Gardner noted. The utility is known as Dominion Energy Virginia.

"In addition to capacity, we look at the promise of GETs to provide capability and flexibility," Gardner said.

DOE to provide support, technical assistance

Gilmer also pointed to a confluence of tailwinds for GETs deployment, including about $10.5 billion in DOE funding for grid modernization projects available through the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law.

Pablo Ruiz, co-founder and CEO of NewGrid, a grid topology optimization company, added that advanced technologies must be used in control room decision-making to achieve widespread adoption. NewGrid's software, which allows system operators to reroute power flows around transmission bottlenecks, helped deliver 845 MW of generation capacity that would have otherwise been stranded during a severe December 2022 winter storm, Ruiz said.

"Transmission providers have to be convinced, at scale, that the technology works," Ruiz said.

The joint federal-state initiative will see the federal government provide technical assistance through the DOE and national labs to grid regions and states seeking additional support. The Biden administration will also work to ensure states are aware of available financial assistance, according to a May 28 fact sheet.

Joe Coffey, director of North American transmission at Prysmian Group, an advanced cable manufacturer, said time is of the essence. The company's heat-dissipating technology, set to be deployed on Invenergy's 800-mile Grain Belt Express project, can improve conducting capacity by an additional 20%-30%, Coffey said.

"We're happy to have moved from pilot stage to mass deployment," he said. "Five years in utility time is nothing. So, pick a lane, pick a technology, and start implementing it today."