Subsidies might not be the best solution for interconnecting renewables.
Jonathan Schneider is a partner in the law firm of Stinson Morrison Hecker, LLC, in the firm's Washington, D.C., office. This article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of Stinson Morrison Hecker or its clients, which include investor-owned and public-power utilities and related industry groups.
Concluding that the transmission infrastructure is inadequate, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) call for a national investment likened to the Eisenhower Administration’s commitment to the interstate highway system, to support renewable development. That call is echoed by the Energy Future Coalition (EFC), the Center for American Progress, the Sierra Club and others, who argue for nationally-directed plans for large-scale private-sector investment to connect vast renewable energy resources to the electric grid. By the date of this publication, these concepts likely will have turned into draft legislation.