The red warning light on the North American grid is blinking faster. (NERC)
In a stark new assessment, NERC found that 13 of 23 assessment areas are facing resource adequacy shortfalls over the next decade, a significant deterioration from last year’s outlook.
The disconnect: We’re trying to power a 21st century AI boom with a 20th century construction timeline. Demand forecasts are rising at their fastest pace in two decades, while the new infrastructure needed to meet them is stuck in queues and permitting purgatory.
The risk profile has fundamentally changed: As the grid retires coal for weather-dependent renewables and relies more heavily on just-in-time natural gas, the most acute danger zone is shifting from hot summer afternoons to winter mornings.
