(The Center Square) — Despite the key positions states like Ohio and Pennsylvania hold to solve future energy problems, shifting the power grid from coal and natural gas to wind and solar isn’t as easy as flipping a switch.
A cadre of Pennsylvania legislators trekked to Columbus for a joint meeting of three House and Senate committees from the two states to be advised by energy officials on PJM, the regional power grid to which both belong.
“In order for supply to keep pace with demand, we need as much new generation to find its way into the system as we possibly can,” said Asim Haque, senior vice president of state and member services for PJM.
PJM serves 65 million people across 13 states and is reforming its permitting and interconnection process — a longstanding concern that has delayed power generation projects in Pennsylvania and beyond.
Relatively speaking, PJM has done better than other regional grids: connecting a power plant into the grid takes about 38 months on average, but it can take 50 months for CAISO in California and 70 months for SPP in the Great Plains.