Green energy gridlock

2024-12-25 13:53:43 source:lotradecoin strategy category:Stocks

The Pine Ridge Reservation is in the southwest corner of South Dakota, and it is windy. In fact, Lyle Jack realized his tribe, the Oglala Lakota Nation, and many other tribes in this area, could pay for lots of things they needed, just by harvesting some of that wind.

Which is why, for the past 20 years, Lyle has been trying to build a wind farm on the reservation. He's overcome a lot of hurdles, like persuading a majority of the tribes in South Dakota to join forces and form a company. They picked a spot to build the windmills where the wind blows hard and – crucially – where there's a power line. That will allow this wind farm to connect to the electric grid.

This is where Lyle ran into the obstacle that stopped his project in its tracks. So many people want to connect their new solar and wind projects to the grid right now that it's creating a massive traffic jam. All those projects are stuck in line: the interconnection queue.

On today's show: the long line for power lines. Green energy may be the future, but at the moment, the people who run the country's electric grid are trying to figure out how to bring all those new projects online. It's a high-tension tightrope act, but if they succeed, it could ensure the future of the planet. No pressure.

This episode was produced by Willa Rubin. It was edited by Sally Helm, fact-checked by Sierra Juarez, and engineered by Katherine Silva. Jess Jiang is our acting executive producer.

Help support Planet Money and get bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

Always free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, NPR One or anywhere you get podcasts.

Find more Planet Money: Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.

Music: "Funky Reverie," "Inner Desert Blues" and "Blues Swagger."

More:Stocks

Recommend

Beyoncé will perform halftime during NFL Christmas Day Game: Here's what to know

The "Cowboy Carter" Christmas countdown has began, and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter is gearing up to hit

Ukraine: The Handoff

In Part 1 of our series, we followed the surreptitious journey of abortion pills into Ukraine in the

What is the Hatch Act — and what count as a violation?

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says the White House counsel is going to review her H