The Wind Energy Foundation released a report finding that upgrades and investment in transmission infrastructure is necessary to keep up with corporate demand for renewable energy. As the price of solar and wind energy has fallen, corporate demand for renewable energy has increased to a point that existing transmission lines are inadequate to provide access to such energy. Since 2013, U.S. corporations have committed to buying roughly 9 GW of wind and solar power and in 2016, the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance set a target of purchasing an additional 60 GW of renewable energy by 2025. According to the report, transmission planners and regulators must approve plans to expand and upgrade transmission lines and FERC must improve their transmission planning process. With much of the renewable energy development taking place in the central U.S., long-distance transmission will be required to provide the renewable energy to major cities on the coasts. The full Wind Energy Foundation report can be found here.
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