Wash Post’s vibe shift on energy: ‘Renewables were supposed to take over the grid. Instead they’re falling short’

Renewables were supposed to take over the grid. Instead they’re falling short – Despite the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, which provided generous tax credits for renewable energy, the U.S. is falling short of its clean energy targets

• Regulatory delays, interconnection bottlenecks, and community opposition have slowed the deployment of wind and solar projects
• The situation worsens as new policies under President Trump halt federal permitting and leasing for wind projects

 The context: The U.S. grid, built primarily for fossil fuels, struggles to accommodate renewable energy’s spatial and transmission needs
• Developers face years-long waits to connect projects to the grid, while anti-renewable groups and local regulations further hinder progress
• Renewables now account for record levels of energy growth, but far below the pace required to meet climate goals

 Why it matters for the planet: Delayed renewable adoption increases dependence on fossil fuels, stalling emissions cuts crucial for limiting global warming
• As renewables reduce air pollution and carbon emissions, faster deployment is essential for both public health and climate stability

⏭️ What’s next: Accelerating renewable growth requires streamlining permitting processes, expanding grid capacity with high-voltage transmission lines, and incentivizing the reuse of fossil fuel infrastructure
• The Biden-era goal of 50-52% emissions reduction by 2030 remains achievable but demands urgent action

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Big Tech wants to plug data centers right into power plants. Utilities say it’s not fair

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Looking for a quick fix for their fast-growing electricity diets, tech giants are increasingly looking to strike deals with power plant owners to plug in directly, avoiding a potentially longer and more expensive process of hooking into a fraying electric grid that serves everyone else.

It’s raising questions over whether diverting power to higher-paying customers will leave enough for others and whether it’s fair to excuse big power users from paying for the grid. Federal regulators are trying to figure out what to do about it, and quickly.

Front and center is the data center that Amazon’s cloud computing subsidiary, Amazon Web Services, is building next to the Susquehanna nuclear plant in eastern Pennsylvania.

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