Kansas is producing more renewable energy than ever before. Solar power and wind power are the biggest drivers. But getting that power from point A to point B, or - from where it's generated to where it's needed - is problematic. Commentator Scott Carlberg says Kansas and the nation need to rethink the energy grid to confront the vexing problem of transmission and distribution.
Making electricity has been in the headlines. Wind and solar are debated at state and local levels. The rising star of energy debates, though, is wires, using the parlance of the energy industry.
Transmission and distribution is the official utility industry term. Transmission lines are the large structures with multiple big lines. Distribution lines are the small offshoots that get power to homes and small businesses.
Certainly, companies maintain the power grid. The problem is that the inputs on that grid are different - power now comes from places where it wasn’t generated before, like wind in western and central Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. There needs to be improved routes to users.
Source: kansaspublicradio.org
Photo Credit: istock-shansekala
Categories: Kansas, Energy