Opinion: Renewable energy and robust transmission help provide security

• Libby Jacobs is a former chair of the Iowa Utilities Board and former state representative. She is president of The Jacobs Group.
• Natalie McIntire is a technical/policy consultant for Clean Grid Alliance.

The recent "Winter Reliability Assessment" from North American Electric Reliability Corp., or NERC, indicates a slightly increased potential risk for energy emergencies during extreme cold-weather events in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO, footprint. This warning was the subject of the Register's Nov. 21 story “Iowa, other states at risk of ‘energy emergencies’ this winter.”

In its assessment, NERC cited the prediction of below-normal temperatures this winter in the Upper Midwest, 4 gigawatts of coal and nuclear power plant retirements, uncertain global markets, and reduced natural gas, fuel oil and coal inventories as the cause for the concern. MISO indicated to its Board of Directors on Dec. 6 that there is a small risk of being short of resources this winter if there is an extreme weather event that coincides with higher-than-normal generator outages. 

The fact is, MISO's standard operating procedures are equipped to handle these circumstances. 

Ironically, the resources that are deemed by many to be the most reliable are subject to external factors that ultimately make them subject to outages. Specifically, geo-political circumstances, such as the war between Ukraine and Russia are leading to gas and oil shortages globally, which can make these electricity resources at best costly, and at worst unavailable when they are needed most. Additionally, Winter Storm Uri taught us that coal and gas face outages during extreme weather. While Iowa is a cold-weather state, its 6,172 wind turbines are equipped with cold weather equipment that enables them to work effectively in temperatures as low as 20 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. In the Uri event, Iowa’s turbines effectively delivered low-cost energy for the Midwest, which was also experiencing record low temperatures and high demand.  

The addition of home-grown, affordable, clean, reliable, renewable energy such as wind, solar and storage, combined with investments in critical transmission infrastructure, is the best near-term way to increase reliability. These energy sources can be weatherized and built here at home, creating a win-win for energy consumers. The good news is, there are more than 281 gigawatts of clean energy projects waiting in the MISO queue, including wind, solar, and storage. So, when NERC issues warnings, it should be a wakeup call to build more reliable, affordable clean energy, not to be fearful. 

NERC also failed to note that the recent approval of MISO's Long-Range Transmission Plan Tranche 1 portfolio of transmission projects is a step in the right direction and desperately needed to support reliability. That’s because the nation's transmission infrastructure is old and wasn’t designed to meet the electricity needs of the 21st century. Most of the country's transmission lines are over 50 years old. Because planning and permitting for critical transmission infrastructure is a burdensome and lengthy process, to ensure reliability, we must invest in our transmission system now. Iowa has the opportunity to help the permitting process move faster.  

America’s economy, national security, and the health of our citizens depend on reliable energy. As the nation transitions to a clean energy economy, we must develop the delivery system to support it. No generation method is able to operate with 100% certainty, 100% of the time. If we want certainty in electricity availability for consumers and businesses, we need a diverse set of electricity generation types, and we must develop our critical energy infrastructure here at home, with American workers and American values. A robust, integrated transmission system that can move affordable, clean, renewable energy across the country, and between regional transmission operators, will increase the reliability we all demand and keep the home fires burning this winter.  

Libby Jacobs is a former chair of the Iowa Utilities Board and former state representative. She is president of The Jacobs Group. Natalie McIntire is a technical/policy consultant for Clean Grid Alliance, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in St. Paul, Minnesota, whose mission is to advance renewable energy in the Midwest.

Launched in 2001, CGA has been an active stakeholder in the MISO process at the state and regional levels and a leading organization working on transforming state energy policy.