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White House has seen no evidence of foreign direction in New Orleans attack; MI's $1B EV push falls short on jobs, as experts urge patience; Report: Only half of phone companies use required anti-robocall technology; Livestock undercover: How good people do bad things to animals.

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Federal officials present more information about the New Orleans terrorist attack and the Las Vegas cybertruck explosion. Mike Johnson prepares for a House speakership battle, and Congress' latest budget stopgap leaves telehealth regulations relaxed.

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The humble peanut got its '15 minutes of fame' when Jimmy Carter was President, America's rural households are becoming more racially diverse but language barriers still exist, farmers brace for another trade war, and coal miners with black lung get federal help.

Demand Grows For National Energy Grid

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Monday, January 29, 2018   

RICHMOND, Va. — A number of Fortune 500 companies are driving the demand for renewable energy, and those same companies are calling for a major upgrade to the country's energy transmission lines.

A report by the Wind Energy Foundation detailed renewable-energy commitments by large corporations willing to purchase 60 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2025. That's about 110 conventional power plants.

John Kostyack, executive director at the Wind Energy Foundation, said at the current speed at which corporations are pursuing renewable energy, the demand outpaces what the country's current transmission lines can offer.

"We have the ability with today's technology to build a truly national grid, where we can reach wind and solar resources wherever they are in the country and deliver them anywhere else in the country,” Kostyack said. “But it does require updating and modernizing our infrastructure. "

The demand for wind and solar energy is increasing because consumers want cleaner energy and because prices are falling.

But transmission developers say upgrading the infrastructure is not an easy task. They see reliability as a challenge when it comes to assessing and delivering renewables to the market.

Rob Threlkeld, the global manager of renewable energy at General Motors, said they've recently announced their Texas, Ohio and Indiana facilities will be powered by 100 percent renewables coming from offsite wind farms.

"We really are looking at price stability as we look at our long-term planning for our manufacturing footprint,” Threlkeld said. “And doing so, there is going to be a point where we need additional transmission to really drive the efficiencies that bringing additional renewables to the grid allow when you look at cost and price stability."

The Wind Energy Foundation report published this month found that under the 20th century model for transmission planning, experts focus on electric reliability, not the need to transmit renewable power. According to Kostyack, there are only a few major transmission lines that are moving in the right direction by adjusting for demand from renewable energy.


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