Energy

Biden’s Climate Agenda May Jeopardize Grid Reliability, New Report Suggests

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President Joe Biden’s green energy agenda may pose a risk to power grid reliability, according to an August report by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC).

NERC’s report outlined five connected threats to overall grid reliability, listing energy policy alongside grid transformation, extreme event resiliency, security risks and infrastructure interdependency. Biden’s sweeping climate agenda has incentivized a rapid shift away from conventional fossil fuels for electricity production, and the agenda has also introduced significant changes in its end uses, such as increasing its use for charging electric vehicles and powering electric appliances, the report suggests.

Energy policy “is further contributing to the grid transformation, which includes the shift away from conventional synchronous central-station generators toward a new mix of resources,” including forms of green energy that will “be more dependent on communications and advanced coordinated controls that can increase the potential security risks,” the report states. Energy policy is a new risk category added to NERC’s 2023 edition of the assessment.

Here’s How Dems’ Permitting Bill Could Help Nationalize The Power Grid https://t.co/iANMLecHsv

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 29, 2022

The Biden administration plans to have the American power sector reach net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2035, and to have the overall U.S. economy reach net-zero by 2050, according to the White House. The administration is expectingthat the U.S. power grid will be powered by 81% green energy by 2030.

“Energy policy can drive change in [bulk power system] planning and operations in short time periods, affecting reliability and resilience,” the report adds. “Consequently, energy policy should consider potential impacts on the reliability and resilience of the [bulk power system], and it can create potential risks when it does not.”

Since taking office in January 2021, the Biden administration has clamped down on American fossil fuels with regulations, such as attempts to force coal-fired power plants to adopt expensive carbon capture equipment and removingfederal lands from consideration for drilling leases. Biden also introduced $370 billion in subsidies for green energy in the Inflation Reduction Act, a figure which may ultimately cost taxpayers $1.2 trillion, according to Goldman Sachs.

The administration is also aggressively promoting changes to end uses of electricity. The Environmental Protection Agency proposed new tailpipe emission standards in April that would require auto manufacturers to have their new light-duty vehicle fleets consist of 67% electric vehicles by model year 2032, and the Department of Energy has introduced a bevy of energy efficiency regulations for appliances that could eventually take cheaper fossil fuel-powered equivalents off the market.

While aiming to drastically alter the underlying energy mix powering the grid, the administration’s policies are also changing the composition of end uses. The push for electrification of transportation and U.S. homes is anticipated to drive up total energy demand by about 14% by 2030, and 25% by 2035, according to data from Princeton University’s Rapid Energy Policy Evaluation and Analysis Toolkit.

U.S. electricity demand grew by about 5% over the last decade, according to CNBC.

Mark Christie, a top official for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, warned members of Congress in June that “catastrophic consequences” may await the American economy if the U.S. continues phasing out existing fossil fuel infrastructure before green energy is capable of replacing its output.

The White House did not respond immediately to a request for comment.