Grid Tag

Preparing Infrastructure for a New Kind of Natural Disaster: Solar Storms

31 Jul 2023, Posted by Andrew Jefferis in All Posts, Blog Posts

Severe natural disasters are increasing in frequency –at least as measured by cost impact – in the United States, costing billions of dollars to infrastructure and property every year. Roads in the U.S. need more investment to stand up to floods and earthquakes, and insurance for natural disasters are becoming unaffordable…

South Carolina’s Energy Future

09 Jun 2023, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

As temperatures rise and the summer power demand begins to take form, policy makers and industry leaders gathered in Columbia, South Carolina to discuss the state’s energy future. From economic competitiveness to new manufacturing, the need for new and resilient energy to meet current and future demand is essential. The…

Petroleum Is Not Just An Energy Source

26 Aug 2021, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

Since oil was first discovered near Titusville, Pennsylvania over 100 years ago, petroleum has become arguably the most essential natural resource for the United State’s economy past and present. From its development as an energy source, fuel for vehicles, and as a key component in everything from plastics and tires to…

Solar Innovation Pushing the Limits on Efficiency

24 Aug 2021, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

The solar energy striking the Earth at a given moment is more than the entire world’s energy usage in a year. Solar power’s massive energy potential has opened the door to to utility-scale electricity generation all the way down to rooftop power for individual homes. Yet solar panel efficiency and…

Offshore Wind Innovation May Soon Power the Coasts

16 Aug 2021, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

Wind generation on land is affected by several factors, such as the topography of the surrounding area, temperature, competing land uses, and human activity. Due to the unevenness and diversity of topographical areas in the U.S., certain areas are not able to harness large amounts of wind energy. Mountainous areas, as…

How Close Are We to a Smart Grid?

12 Feb 2021, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

The power pulsing into your home right now probably comes courtesy of an antiquated system of power plants and transmission lines thought up while horse and buggies were still common on the streets. Even with the advent of the Internet age, we largely still use this one-way power network, and…

Your Home as a Power Plant

04 Mar 2020, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

Residential solar systems are becoming an increasingly popular trend in the United States. By the end of 2018, the U.S. had installed enough solar panels to power 12.3 million homes, and the solar industry managed to generate a $17 billion investment in the economy. These statistics indicate that the implementation…

A perfect storm for wholesale electricity prices

30 Oct 2019, Posted by bdierker in All Posts, Blog Posts

Summer temperatures and tensions were high across the state of Texas, at least for some. While every resident of the Lone Star State dealt with immense heat during August, some Texans found themselves with ludicrously high electricity bills as well. This spike in price only affected a certain sector of Texas’…

Grid Security – Between Hype and Heads in the Sand

31 Oct 2017, Posted by staff in All Posts, Blog Posts

Aii Founder and Chairman, Brigham McCown, was privileged to speak to the students and faculty at the Schar School of Policy and Government and Scalia Law School at George Mason University on the importance of grid security and maintaining our infrastructure. Covering both policy and technical issues to energy policy,…

The U.S. Electric Grid: A Primer

15 Aug 2017, Posted by staff in All Posts, Blog Posts

On July 12, we published “Building a Smarter Electric Grid: How Investing in Smarter Electricity Infrastructure Will Energize America,” a white-paper focused on the opportunities presented by a “smarter” electric network and the specific investments that should be made to take full advantage of tomorrow’s energy technologies without sacrificing the…

Electromagnetic Pulse Attacks: Are We Ready?

01 Jun 2016, Posted by staff in All Posts, Blog Posts

A recent Government Accountability Office (“GAO”) report indicates that the United States electric grid is still vulnerable to electromagnetic pulse attacks, despite recommendations made almost 8 years ago to reduce such an occurrence. The susceptibility of the grid to such a phenomenon is an out-of-the-box threat many regulators and policymakers…

America Gets Smart on Energy Efficiency

18 Jun 2014, Posted by staff in All Posts, Press Releases

Water transportation requires an enormous amount of electricity, which only increases as water sources diminish throughout regions plagued with drought. The electric power transmission and distribution system (the grid) is a critical and extraordinarily complex part of our nation’s infrastructure. Reliable electricity service is essential to health, welfare, communication, and…