Utilities’ IRPs are highlighting the challenges of meeting soaring demand. In Q2 of this year, utilities that updated their IRPs increased projected load through 2035 by 2% and emissions by 4.5%, according to RMI. (RMI)
What makes those two data points so intertwined? “Changing policy, regulation, and market rules, as well as interconnection queues, limitations to capital deployment, and claims of reliability concerns create a difficult environment for utilities to meet load growth with wind and solar generation,” RMI said. “Instead, utilities continue to increase plans to build new gas capacity, and in some cases, also delay retirement of existing fossil capacity.”
