"It takes five years to connect a new wind or solar farm to the electric grid. New federal rules would only partly resolve the issue, experts say."
"Federal regulators on Thursday approved new rules to speed up the process for connecting wind and solar projects to the electric grid, in an attempt to reduce the growing delays that have become one of the biggest obstacles to building renewable energy in the United States.
Energy companies are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in wind farms, solar arrays and batteries, spurred on by federal tax breaks and falling costs. But these projects face a severe bottleneck: It is getting harder and taking longer to connect new power plants to the power lines that carry electricity to homes and businesses.
More than 10,000 energy projects — mostly wind, solar and batteries — were seeking permission to connect to electric grids at the end of 2022, up from 5,600 two years earlier. Grid operators have become overwhelmed by the volume. It now takes five years for the typical power plant to get approval, twice what it did a decade ago, and developers say the process has become dysfunctional.
The new rules by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which oversees electricity markets, aim to streamline that approval process, known as the interconnection queue."
Brad Plumer reports for the New York Times July 27, 2023.
SEE ALSO:
"Maine Hydropower Corridor Will Resume Construction Despite Big Jump In Cost, CEO Says" (AP)
Advertisement 
