It is estimated that the world will need more than 93 million miles of transmission lines, the distance between the Earth and the Sun, to face future power needs (IEA, 2023). Over the past 120 years, 50 million miles of transmission lines have been developed, but experts say we will need an additional 40 to 50 million miles in the next 30 years to keep up with growing demand.
The impact of increased electrical consumption and renewable energy
This rising development is due to increased electrical consumption (electric vehicles, data center development, AI acceleration, etc.) and the evolution of renewable energy sources. Renewable energy sources now allow us to focus on developing generation in the places where it is most efficient to do so, instead of having to necessarily be close to our direct customers. In the past, generators were incentivized to develop thermal plants as close as possible from the consumption area to enable better cost efficiency. But today, with renewable energy sources, the focus is generation efficiency. This opens up more options, such as choosing a wind corridor or vast enough land in the desert to deploy a solar plant.
Distance is a major factor to the current delay in keeping up with power demand, as transmission line buildout cannot keep up. This is a huge challenge that we, as an industry, need to prioritize — helping to facilitate faster infrastructure and power generation development. It is critical that we work together to accelerate our decisions and investments to help face these challenges.
Balancing generation and demand
Even if we are successful at accelerating the extension of transmission lines, the operation of our power grid is still a huge roadblock. Increase in power usage, coupled with intermittent renewable power generation, challenges the balance between generation and demand.
The need for energy storage solutions
There’s no doubt that providing power to cover the demand peak in our future is an issue that keeps us up at night. We all know power is very difficult to store, but something must change. We must look at assets that enable flexibility on the grid, such as battery storage or pumped storage, but let’s not forget the importance of green or low-carbon gas. The energy transition needs the alliance of the electron and the molecule. It is important for us to work together, and center the business model, to develop assets involving the synergy between gas and electricity. The affordability and feasibility of the transition depends on it.
The role of gas in the energy transition
Recent pragmatic policies have emerged, calling for new thermal plants to be built (such as in Texas or in the United Kingdom). It is believed that we cannot handle the demand peak, and keep energy affordable, without gas-fired plants until well into the transition. With these gas-fired plants, we should remain open to “hydrogen ready” options, as well as the maturement of renewable gases such as biomethane and e-methane.
Reviving the debate on underground gas storage
The important role gas can play in meeting power demand has also revived the debate around underground gas storage. Embedded in the natural gas seasonal economy, storage is often forgotten in future planning. It has the capability of providing fast cycling services, enabling a mid-term storage delivery (storing gas for several days with the aim for it to become power) which is a smart complement to batteries (storing power for several hours).
Proven solutions for reliable grid service
The industry must consider solutions that are proven to deliver reliable service to the grid — supporting peak generation. At ENGIE, we operate fast cycling storage in the United Kingdom and are actively working on a Hydrogen Underground Storage Business Model with the UK government. As we investigate opportunities to assist with transmission and grid congestion, we must take into consideration lead time on the execution of solutions (such as underground storage), as well as the regularity of investment decisions to enable a delivery at the right time.
Shaping the future of energy
At this moment, it’s exciting to work in the energy industry, as we have been given the opportunity to collaboratively shape the energy systems of the future. By utilizing renewables sources for generation efficiency, looking at assets that enable flexibility on the grid, remaining open to hydrogen-ready options, and valuing underground gas storage, we are empowering low-carbon energy solutions to meet the unprecedented demand for power and facilitate faster infrastructure and power generation development.
