The Biden Administration announced plans on Wednesday to invest $3.46 billion to reinforce the nation’s electric grid.
This will fund 58 projects across 44 states, including 400 microgrids. The updates are intended to allow the country to tap more clean energy from wind and solar, according to a release from the Department of Energy, bringing more than 35 gigawatts of clean energy to the grid. The funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which was signed in 2021.
The country’s electrical grid is dire in need of an update. More than half of the country’s transmission lines and power transformers were installed before the 1970s, White House Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator Mitch Landrieu told reporters during a press conference this week, CNBC reported. And about 70% of grid transmission lines and power transformers are more than 25 years old, according to the Department of Energy.
“Extreme weather events fueled by climate change will continue to strain the nation’s aging transmission systems, but President Biden’s Investing in America agenda will ensure America’s power grid can provide reliable, affordable power,” U.S Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said.
Without much-needed upgrades, it’s going to become harder and harder for the grid to hold out. The frequency and the cost associated with natural disasters in the U.S. has increased over time. The grids have failed to keep the lights on for communities during and after extreme weather events. This year alone, areas throughout California saw widespread outages during a series of winter storms. In March, about 400,000 households and businesses in the state were powerless.
This comes about a week after the Biden administration said it plans to award up to $7 billion to construct regional hydrogen energy hubs throughout the country. Like the billions being invested in the proposed hubs, the billions being allocated for the nation’s grid are being touted as a tool for climate resilience, as well as a way to create well-paying jobs for trade workers.
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