US electricity consumption is rising faster than it has in decades, thanks in part to the boom in data center development, the resurgence in manufacturing, and the increasing popularity of electric vehicles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Accommodating that growth will require building wind turbines, solar farms, and other power plants faster than we ever have before\u2014and expanding the network of wires needed to connect those facilities to the grid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But one major problem is that it\u2019s expensive and slow<\/a> to secure permits for new transmission lines and build them across the country. This challenge has created one of the biggest obstacles to getting more electricity generation online, reducing investment in new power plants and stranding others in years-long \u201cinterconnection queues\u201d while they wait to join the grid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fortunately, there are some shortcuts that could expand the capacity of the existing system without requiring completely new infrastructure: a suite of hardware and software tools known as advanced transmission technologies (ATTs), which can increase both the capacity and the efficiency of the power sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ATTs have the potential to radically reduce timelines for grid upgrades, avoid tricky permitting issues, and yield billions<\/a> in annual savings for US consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read it all<\/a>.<\/p> The cheapest way to supercharge America\u2019s power grid https:\/\/t.co\/fqZ8rCxHM3<\/a><\/p>— MIT Technology Review (@techreview) March 10, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>