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AI could strain the grid, or make it a lot smarter — This Week in Cleantech

AI could strain the grid, or make it a lot smarter — This Week in Cleantech
Keeping the electrical grid humming is one focus of artificial intelligence research at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. (Photo by Andrea Starr | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)

This Week in Cleantech is a new, weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in cleantech and climate in 15 minutes or less. Produced by Renewable Energy World and Tigercomm, This Week in Cleantech will air every Friday in the Factor This! podcast feed wherever you get your podcasts.

This week’s episode features Semafor climate and energy editor Tim McDonnell, who reported on AI’s impact to the grid and how the technology could be used to ease the strain.

This week’s “Cleantecher of the Week” is Warwick Wise, Head of Video at ABB. He went out to the plains of New Mexico to see how the latest detection and monitoring technology helped find methane leaks and seal them off. Congratulations, Warwick!

1. Supreme Court halts enforcement of the EPA’s plan to limit downwind pollution from power plants — AP News

The EPA’s “good neighbor” rule, designed to limit pollution from power plants affecting downwind areas, has been paused by the Supreme Court. The EPA found that power plant pollution dropped by 18% in 2023 in the 10 states where the rule has been enforced since it was finalized last year. The pause will last until the federal appeals court in Washington finishes reviewing objections to the rule from industry and Republican-led states. 

Ohio, Indiana, and West Virginia say the rule is costly and ineffective. They also noted that courts in 12 other states have paused it, undermining the EPA’s goal of a unified approach across 23 states to reduce ozone pollution.

2. US energy production exceeds consumption by widest-recorded margin — Reuters

Last year, the U.S. produced more energy than it consumed by over 2 GW. Energy production rose 4%, mostly due to the increase in natural-gas and crude-oil production, while energy consumption eased 1%. Renewables generation is up 1% over the last year, but coal consumption dropped 17%. Coal consumption is now at its lowest level in over 100 years as generators retire, and renewables become increasingly competitive.

3. Coal power plant outages remain historically high, NERC report finds — E&E News

For the last three years, coal power plants have seen more unplanned outages than other power sources. NERC reported that the outages and performance issues were due to reduced maintenance on aging units as they phase out. There were also more “cycling” coal units that needed to turn on and off during the day to better align with wind and solar. 

Watch the full episode on YouTube

4. Wildfire Threats Make Utilities Uninsurable in US West — Bloomberg

Some power companies in the U.S. have faced tens of billions of dollars in damages from wildfires linked to their lines. Now, some insurance companies have withdrawn coverage for utilities linked to wildfires caused by their power lines. If power lines from an uninsured utility end up starting a fire, that utility is likely to go bankrupt, and this risk will only get worse as we see wildfire season ramp up from climate change-driven droughts.

Insurance rates have already risen 30% this year, with premiums also increasing the last several years prior. This makes it harder for utilities to attract investments and funding to improve and build more transmission lines.

5. The solution to the AI power boom is a better grid, not a bigger one – Semafor

The AI boom requires a reliable grid to support it, and there are ways to do that without building more transmission. New technologies and reconductoring, or replacing old transmission wires with new advanced ones, can unlock huge capacity. Utilities are increasingly investing in these tech-forward solutions to prevent an over-built grid, where financial, natural, and bureaucratic resources are wasted.

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Join us every Friday for new episodes of This Week in Cleantech in the Factor This! podcast feed, and tune into new episodes of Factor This! every Monday.

This Week in Cleantech is hosted by Renewable Energy World senior content director John Engel and Tigercomm president Mike Casey. The show is produced by Brian Mendes with research support from Alex Petersen and Clare Quirin.