Energy is the fundamental raw input of everything that is produced in the economy. Runaway energy prices are not a good sign. We need to expand generation capacity and transmission as aggressively as possible, yesterday. View article →

Replies (7)

This issue isn’t energy, it’s transmission. LMPs consist of the energy, congestion, and losses component of power. Energy is available, but the bottleneck is how you allocate transmission development and maintenance costs. The reason retail energy rates are going up forever, Laura, is because even when energy (electrons) is abundant (or free), you still can’t get them where they need to go. And the raw materials that make up the high voltage transmission lines can’t be mined and processed fast enough. Energy isn’t the issue, transmission cost allocation is.
Z2theach's avatar
Z2theach 5 months ago
Anecdotally, my energy costs are up about 30-40% compared to last summer. With demand only going higher for energy via AI, and supply stagnating or even going backwards, this will be a problem in years to come.
Benking's avatar
Benking 5 months ago
Absolutely agree. Energy is the master input for every sector, when its cost spikes, it cascades into inflation everywhere else. Expanding generation isn’t just about adding renewables or more fossil fuels; it’s about diversifying the mix (nuclear, hydro, solar, wind, geothermal) while simultaneously investing in grid modernization and storage. Without robust transmission and demand-response systems, even cheap generation gets stranded. The economy can’t scale sustainably without a resilient, abundant, and low-cost energy backbone.