Electricity demand in the U.S. is growing significantly each year, with many believing that the national energy consumption will increase by 50% over the next 25 years. The energy the country uses is spread between residential areas, hospitals, warehouses, offices, stores, restaurants, vehicles, agriculture, and manufacturing. 2023 saw the country using 4,049 terawatt-hours (TWh) of power, but we will probably need a minimum of 5,178 TWh by 2050 to keep the country running. 

Some of the main factors encouraging the electrification of the country include the increasing use of new technology such as electric vehicles and AI. But this is significantly spiking the country’s power use and energy costs. Now, if the country is unable to keep up with the power demand, core functions that include communication, payment systems, and the distribution of food could experience widespread disruption. Modern society cannot operate efficiently without a reliable power grid, however, the current grid suffers from inefficiencies. Between 2018 and 2022, the nation lost no less than 5% that was distributed across the country, which is enough to light, cool, and completely support millions of households. 

Revamping the nation’s power infrastructure is an effective approach to improve energy production, but the task is far from simple. Much of the grid has aged around 40 to 70 years, meaning a large portion of the components such as the transmission lines, substations, and transformers are reaching their end of operation. About 70% of transmission lines have been in service for a quarter of a century and are reaching the limits of their reliability. These old transmission lines are more prone to power failures and cyberattacks. 

Across the U.S., very few substations are properly staffed, making them vulnerable to physical attacks. For transformers, there are millions currently in use, but the increase in demand within the next 25 years could hike up the numbers by more than 200%. Additionally, more than half of the residential transformers in use are nearing the end of their life as most of them are almost 50 years old. 

Multiple issues stand in the way of improving the nation’s infrastructure. This includes the system’s tremendous size and the cost of replacing the entire grid. Moreover, necessary equipment has jumped in prices since 2019 while the production of generator and power transformers can take years. Additionally, interconnection queues—the power systems that are still waiting to be approved and put online—are sitting idle with 80% of them typically getting withdrawn due to high costs and long delays. 

However, even with the challenging struggles, the nation can still create a better infrastructure and increase transformer capacity. Actions such as creating quality infrastructure components, reducing the interconnecting queues, and streamlining the transformer construction process can help strengthen the country’s power infrastructure. Exploring various other ways to gain power can also support energy production for the long-term. 

A better power infrastructure can lead to even more benefits beyond meeting future power demands. From enabling more clean energy strategies to encouraging more economic development, a strong power infrastructure can be a stable energy foundation now and in the future.