Gavin Maguire
The United States’ power grid has been singled out as a glaring weakness within its power system, with aging lines and transformers deemed unable to handle the rapid further jumps to both power supply and demand expected in the coming years.
Several major networks have already teetered near collapse as they struggled to accommodate record volumes of renewable energy supplies alongside surging electricity demand from data centers, electric vehicles, homes and businesses.
And with new transmission corridors requiring roughly a decade to build, power analysts have identified the grid as a critical bottleneck that may limit not just the growth of power supplies but also the overall economy.
Plans to reshore power-hungry factories and spur overall expansions in U.S. manufacturing may be put in jeopardy by tight power supplies and by any resulting rises in power costs that eat into corporate profit margins.
However, several innovative solutions are already available that could allow grid operators to sharply boost transmission volumes over existing networks and ensure that U.S. power supplies continue to grow as needed.
Below are some key grid-centric solutions already available for mass deployment that may enable U.S. grids to handle rapidly rising power loads without the need for new or expanded transmission networks.
Dynamic lines
One of the key constraints facing grid operators is that networks are often considered to have a fixed distribution capacity that cannot be exceeded for long without outage risk.
However, certain stretches of every network frequently face wide swings in their carrying capacity depending on the weather, as bouts of windy conditions can help to cool transmission lines and allow for sharply higher distribution loads.
Estonia-based Gridraven, which is expanding into the U.S., has pioneered the use of weather models and grid power flow forecasts that allow grid operators to boost transmission capacity by 30% without any new physical infrastructure.
The firm’s mix of hyper-local wind speed measurements and load assessments provides grid firms with what is known as Dynamic Line Ratings (DLR), which give grid operators signals on when they can safely push more power through network stretches.
Widespread deployment of DLR could allow for grid firms to maximize the bandwidth of their existing grids and dispatch smarter and more dynamic power flows that can exceed current demand needs and accommodate future demand growth.
Preemptive care
VIE Technologies is another firm helping utilities to extract more power from existing networks by helping to avert critical system interruptions.
The California-based firm uses a mix of proprietary sensors and artificial intelligence models to warn grid operators of potential issues with critical equipment, such as transformers.
There are an estimated 80 million transformers within the U.S. power system, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
Transformers transfer power and adjust voltage levels from one circuit to another across power grids, playing a vital role in keeping the lights on across the country.
However, the average age of U.S. transformers is over 40 years, according to NREL, and their mechanical parts are prone to wear and tear that can be difficult to assess ahead of a breakdown.
By deploying sensors on transformers, utilities can get alerts on specific imminent issues – such as changes to current bias, overheating, and insulation loss – that can allow for speedy fixes by utility engineers.
Preemptive transformer maintenance can in turn allow for grid operators to avoid critical shutdowns and costly post-problem replacements, and avert the need to join the already years-long waiting lists for new large-scale transformers.
Distributed storage
The deployment of networks of batteries as a source of back-up power for utilities is also allowing grid operators to accommodate swings in network needs.
Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are rapidly expanding in popularity, with nearly 12 gigawatts of BESS capacity deployed in 2024, according to the Business Council for Sustainable Energy.
Most of the growth in BESS capacity is among utilities seeking to store surplus clean power from solar and wind farms for later deployment when demand levels rise.
However, residential battery systems are also experiencing rapid growth, and can offer additional grid stability when contracts with homeowners allow for local utilities to gain access to the power stored within them.
Base Power, with operations in Texas, leases battery systems to homeowners for a fixed cost, and sells the power stored in their batteries to utility networks during peak demand periods.
This revenue model allows Base to offer homeowners a relatively cheap battery system that protects them from outages, and gives utilities access to a growing network of distributed battery capacity that can provide additional power when needed.
Smarter materials and planning
Grid operators are also upgrading the materials and planning software used within their current systems to help boost output and minimize outages.
DexMat, a materials manufacturer, is working with utilities to replace old steel cables that are prone to sagging with its more conductive and lighter cables made from aluminum and carbon that require fewer support towers.
Amperon, which produces AI-driven power flow forecasts, allows grid operators to more accurately predict peak power needs and optimize energy flows within existing assets.
Combined with continuous improvements already deployed across U.S. grid systems, the above solutions offer the means to increase the carrying load of the current U.S. grid and prime the national system for further growth in the years ahead.
(The author is a market analyst for Reuters)
Published – March 18, 2025 03:27 pm IST
