Transmission possible?
Four years after a cascading blackout shut down much of the northeast US, affecting around 50 million people and 61,800 megawatts (MW) of electric load, discussion continues about how to improve the grid to prevent a repeat performance.
Grid operators are no longer talking about just fixing infrastructure, however. Instead, they are laying out a revolutionary strategy known as 'economic transmission planning' to prepare the US for an uncertain energy future.
Economic transmission planning does
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