Future of the Electric Grid

Catalog description

This course is an advanced seminar addressing how energy law and regulation will shape, and be shaped by, changing demands on our electric system. We will explore the ongoing evolution of the U.S. electricity grid, a grid defined not only by the traditional measures of reasonable rates and reliability but also by affordability, decarbonization, sustainability, environmental justice, resilience, and equity. We will examine the technologies (e.g., storage, EVs, distributed generation), resources, regulations and policies that will shape the future grid. What mix of generation, transmission, and distribution resources will be required and what is the role of electricity consumers in shaping their own future? How will the complexities of providing electric service to the influx of massive AI data centers hungry for power be resolved by FERC, state regulators, and the data centers themselves? How will the pace of reducing carbon emissions define the evolution of the future grid? What respective roles will FERC and the states, along with President Trump's Executive Orders, and the One Big Beautiful Bill promoting fossil fuels, play in sorting through these complex issues? Students will be encouraged to develop answers to these questions as well as determine their own goals for the grid of the future.