The flat wind-swept plains of the Dakotas are rich enough in wind power to meet half of our nation's energy needs, while the sunny deserts of Nevada could yield enough solar energy to power much of the Western United States.
But without thousands of miles of new high-voltage power lines than can bring it to the areas where it is needed the most - the cities and suburbs - the United States' rich supplies of renewable energy, found mainly in rural and remote parts of the country, will remain untapped.
"Modernizing the transmission grid is the major challenge we face to greening our economy," said International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers International President Edwin D. Hill.
"The quicker we can build a network to get renewable energy to where its going to be used, the faster we can meet our goals in reducing carbon emissions," said Construction Department International Representative Jack Heyer, who helps monitor the green energy sector for the IBEW.
The problem, says Utility Department Director Jim Hunter, is that our current electrical grid system, which in many cases dates back before the 1950s, is not designed to handle large loads over long distances. "It's like the connection between the D.C. grid and the Baltimore one is a one-way dirt road," he said. "If we want to get wind power from Montana to Chicago, we're going to need to replace it with a six-lane highway."
The grid's limitations are already creating power backlogs that are restricting the growth of renewable energy. In California more than 30,000 megawatts of solar energy are unable to connect to the grid, while more than 40,000 megawatts of wind power goes to waste in the Great Lakes region each year, according to a new joint report from the American Wind Energy Association and the Solar Energy Industries Association. "The massive deployment of renewable generation envisioned by President Obama cannot occur without a renewed investment in our country's transmission infrastructure."
President Obama's stimulus package includes more than $10 billion in funding for new transmission projects across the United States, but the money won't have much impact without guaranteeing utility companies will have the proper authority to build new lines.
The main obstacle is the fragmented number of state and local authorities which can prevent the siting and construction of new power lines across the state boundaries.
According to recent report issued by the Center for American Progress, a Washington D.C., think tank, building a single transmission line can involve separate proceedings in multiple jurisdictions, adding years of delay before construction can even begin.
To streamline the approval process, in March Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) introduced legislation giving federal regulators greater power to approve the routes of transmission lines. "We cannot let 231 state regulators hold up progress," Reid told the Wall Street Journal.
Reid's Clean Renewable Energy and Economic Development Act would give the federal government the authority to approve intrastate siting if local delays threaten the construction of new transmission lines that will connect renewable energy producing regions with the rest of the country. Reid's legislation will likely become incorporated into a larger energy bill that is expected to be introduced by Senate Democrats this spring.
In addition to more miles of transmission lines, clean-energy supporters are pushing for investment in smart grid technology.
A "smart grid" is an assortment of advanced computer technologies that help make the grid more productive and cost efficient. This includes advanced sensors which allow utilities to automatically shift power loads during times of high demand and smart meters that give consumers daily updates on their power usage, allowing them to set their energy levels to decrease or increase depending on the fluctuation of energy prices.
Smart grid technology also allows small green-energy producers, such as rooftop solar panels and plug-in electric cars, to sell their excess power back to the grid.
"It's like an Internet for utilities," said National Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee Executive Director Mike Callanan.
More than $4 million of the stimulus money is slated to encourage utilities to work on smart grids.
Rebuilding a new transmission infrastructure will mean jobs - lots of them. Laying new lines would require tens of thousands of new linemen; wiring a smart grid is expected to create 75,000 jobs in one year alone, according to an alliance of smart grid advocates. If those new jobs are good-paying, union ones, they can go a long way in leading our nation to economic recovery, Hunter said.
But with the shortage of skilled utility workers already reaching crisis level, investment in a revamped grid system will necessitate increased support by federal and state governments for job training and recruitment.
Despite the political challenges and high price tag of a 21st century grid, supporters say that the investment is long overdue and well worth the money - for the economy and the environment.
"The benefits of this kind of investment by our generation will far exceed the costs," said American Wind Energy Association CEO Denise Bode.