Good article here - makes a very clear argument for why Grid Flexibility is so key. Not just for meeting domestic needs, but for ensuring the US continues to lead globally as high-tech industries (Ai, Data centers, electrified manufacturing) expand at record pace. The U.S. electric system is underperforming not because we're lacking the technology, but because utilities aren't incentivized to adopt more efficient, flexible solutions that would enable us to make better use of what we already have. Just look at Texas for proof that when policymakers adjust incentives and remove barriers, utilities do embrace innovation. Well worth a read!
Matt Birch, PhD
1mo
Maybe my perspective is warped from going 4 days without power because it was a chilly 15 degrees outside in Texas. Or maybe it was when, a few months later, ERCOT asked us all to run our houses at 80 degrees because it was too warm outside. Either way, I liked this post until you suggested that ERCOT is something to be looked up to. It does well in good weather, sure, but doesn't everyone? Flexibility is not such a perk when it leads you to avoid important investments that would make your grid more reliable. When perfectly normal weather (compared to the US) completely breaks your system, that indicates the system is fundamentally flawed. Some regulations are necessary. That said, I agree with the rest, at least to a point. We need a lot more investment and ability to adapt. Definitely.
Grid Flexibility - Divisional Manager @ Piper Maddox
2moWell timed given this news out of California: https://calssa.org/press-releases/2025/9/10/california-legislature-and-governor-cut-funding-for-a-program-that-reduces-energy-bills