Comment by kolinko
1 day ago
It seems, according to the article, that the local energy operator is a bigger problem than just growing demand from AI - they don’t seem to manage the energy transformation competently, and the issues began pre-chatbots.
“In 2022, PJM stopped processing new applications for power plant connections after it was overloaded with more than 2,000 requests from renewable power projects, each of which required engineering studies before they could connect to the grid”
It is not just one grid operator (though some may be worse than others). Electricity demand in the US has been flat for the last 20 years[1] because all growth has been offset by efficiency gains. The same is true in Europe, e.g. Germany[2].
As a result, grid operators and lawmakers in the west have collectively forgotten how to deal with rapid growth of electricity demand.
[1] https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/use-of-elect...
[2] https://www.statista.com/statistics/383650/consumption-of-el...
When you are being spammed with grifters who are basically using system inefficiencies, subsidy, and dumping externalities onto the public grid there is very little way to keep up.
If all the actors here were acting in good faith, I would agree. This is not a problem of well-sited and competently researched energy generation plans simply being held up by nothing but red tape and a rubber stamp.
There is certainly some of that, but it’s not the whole story. Operating the grid has historically taken a lot of “gentleman’s agreements” and inertia from the proper overengineering of overbuilding from generation’s past to function. Those social constructs have largely broken down by now.
When you don’t build stuff for a generation (no pun intended) you lose the ability to.
Interesting times ahead indeed.