Listen to this articleMany Americans are probably unaware of a significant transformation going on behind the scenes for the nation’s energy grid. In the twentieth century, the country’s growth counted on cheap electrical energy. Almost all of it came from coal and nuclear power plants.
Now, that’s changing rapidly as the profile of the plants turns toward sustainable and renewable energy sources. The pace is not gradual, and a total phaseout is underway for the two sources of energy that the country relies on for its power.
Everyone knows the drawbacks of coal and nuclear. Generating power using these methods caused significant damage to the environment over time. The fear of those problems getting worse has politicians turning against the traditional methods and has them embracing gas, solar, and wind as alternatives.
Energy Production Faces a Radical Shift
However, such a radical shift is not without its share of problems. One thing about the older methods of production was that they worked well and supplied millions of people with continuous power. The newer plants use sustainable and renewable methods, so they pollute less, but they don’t offer the same functionality.
The exciting thing about renewable energy is that a shortage or excess of it may have unintended consequences for society. Deficits are evident in their impact because they could mean less power and higher prices. The excess supply situation could have many far-reaching implications that are beginning to stir debate.
Few people would claim that transforming the energy supply is a bad idea. There are many reasons to want to improve current technology and systems. However, every single person on the planet relies on power generation. Any mistakes that happen with energy policy and governance affect growth rates, populations, and organizations.
Natural Gas and Wind Turbine Electrical Generation Rise
Natural gas is significantly abundant in the U.S. and is becoming the go-to for lots of energy production. Electric generation from natural gas uses a steam generation unit where the plant boils the fossil fuel in an exclusive boiler. That heats the water, producing steam, which turns a particular turbine, which outputs electrical power.
Plants producing energy this way need a near-continuous supply of natural gas.
Producing electric energy this way is more environmentally friendly than using coal. Natural gas gives off significantly less CO2, and the stations fired by gas are highly efficient. A large percent of the energy in the gas ends up as energy ready for consumption by businesses and organizations.
The New Grid Combines Gas with Renewables
Natural gas, though, is not renewable. Wind turbines, which are also proliferating in popularity, are both sustainable and renewable like solar. The new energy grid which is rolling out will be dense in gas resources, wind turbines, and to a lesser degree, solar-powered plants.
The wind and sun-powered plants will remain as intermittent sources of power. Natural gas will end up forming the backbone of the new configuration, which will lack the redundancy and predictability of the gas and nuclear plants.
Experts are Questioning Deployment Speed
Energy experts like Douglas Healy wonder why the need to shut down all of the current coal and nuclear plants for this new, more unstable format. Executives in the industry are beginning to worry, mainly because their mandate is to provide business and consumer customers with uninterrupted power. They fear that that may not be possible unless there’s a plan to store more excess energy instead of relying heavily on intermittent power sources.
The U.N. and other agencies are unveiling aggressive plans to push renewable sources worldwide.
States in the U.S. like California and Texas, are already moving very fast to adopt new power sources, so it’s no longer a debate of something happening in the future. Sustainable and renewable energy is here to stay, and the technology will need to continue advancing to keep up the growing demand for electrical power.
The Course for New Energy is Set
The course for new energy will continue to challenge society and the entities responsible for generating electricity. The policy will move all investments from nuclear and coal to alternatives, impoverishing the old system to the point of no return. The trend is underway, and so far, problems with the grid are not severe enough to warrant fear among average people.
The grid, or network, is a series of high-voltage transmission lines, substations, and distribution lines that run from plants to homes and businesses. This entire network is evolving as more and more renewable sources come online. How well the integration goes will determine whether the new system is sufficient for daily use. It will be less polluting, for sure, but will it achieve levels of high-efficiency and reliability?
Like most issues concerning energy, experts on both sides of the debate hold strong opinions. The average person wants reliable power and an inhabitable planet. The companies running the grid enjoy stability and consistent investments. Whether the new network will require massive transfusions of capital is not known, nor is anything long-term understood about how a green system will function.
The grid has always been powerful enough to support growing economies. It’s a proven system that keeps the lights on worldwide. In the next decades, there may be challenges that threaten that smooth and consistent idea. Energy policy must continue to evolve along with the electrical generation system.
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