(NewsNation) — The Biden administration’s latest push for green energy has sparked concerns among grid operators, power providers and energy experts who fear that the rush to transition away from fossil fuels may lead to power shortages and blackouts.
President Joe Biden has called for 100% clean electricity by 2035. Currently, more than half of America’s electricity is powered by fossil fuels.
Barry Ingold, COO of Tri-State Generation & Transmission, joined “On Balance With Leland Vittert” to discuss what it will take to transition away from fossil fuels and eventually get to a carbon-neutral grid.
“I think they are setting goals that are going to be very hard to meet in the near future,” Ingold said. “I think farther into the future they could be met, it’s just going to take more time to transition.”
Ingold is among many grid operators, the people responsible for ensuring reliable power supply to homes and businesses, are expressing their concerns over the rapid shift to renewable energy.
“We do not believe it’s 100% possible today,” Ingold said. “We think we can get there. But it’s going to take numerous years in order to transition away from fossil fuels to eventually get to a carbon-free or carbon-neutral grid.”
Many experts argue that while transitioning to green energy is essential for the planet’s future, the infrastructure and technology required to fully support renewable energy sources are not yet in place.
Reports suggest that the electric grid is not adequately prepared to handle the increased demand and variability associated with renewable energy.
“We saw this a couple years ago, during Winter Storm Yuri, right? (The) winter storm affected many parts of Texas up through the Midwest, a lot of power outages,” Ingold said. “We were able to recover from that. But I think a lot of people are short-sighted and forgotten about that, because they’re back to their lights on, their air conditioners are working in the summer, their heaters are working in the winter. But I think that as we move forward, we’re going to see more and more of those types of events.”
While the power situation in Texas was eventually resolved, experts warn that more frequent and severe weather events could pose even greater challenges to the grid as the country transitions to cleaner energy sources.
“We are challenged with expanding our transmission network, through the multiple layers of permitting that are required,” Ingold said. “And it’s just going to take more time to be able to hook up more renewables.”
Energy experts and industry insiders urge policymakers to take a more gradual and pragmatic approach to achieve their green energy goals.
“We’re committed to shutting down coal plants in the spirit of helping the environment,” Ingold said. “The challenge is, with only wind and only solar, you can’t run a reliable grid. You need something dispatchable that can be online, when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine.”
