Castor Introduces Bill to Advance Grid-Enhancing Technologies

Representative Kathy Castor (D-FL) with some of her Democratic colleagues from both chambers introduced the Advancing Grid-Enhancing Technologies (GETs) Act, a bill looking to boost investments in grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) – a type of transmission technology that “expands the capacity of existing transmission infrastructure.”

U.S. legislators including Representatives Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Scott Peters (D-CA) and Senators Peter Welch (D-VT) and Angus King (I-ME) brought the GETs Act to Congress alongside Rep. Castor.

Reps. Castor and Tonko and Sens. Welch and King sent a letter to U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) leadership last week. They urged the Commission to implement shared savings incentives that promote the deployment of grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) to expand transmission capacity and meet rapid growth in electricity demand.

The Florida congresswoman believes it is time America’s transmission infrastructure receives some updating.

“New clean energy projects — including solar, wind, geothermal, and other sources — are popping up all across the country thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act,” said Rep. Castor. “In order to bring these projects online quickly, we must upgrade our old, congested transmission infrastructure. The Advancing Grid Enhancing Technologies (GETs) Act will help us do that by supercharging the deployment of grid-enhancing technologies that enable transmission operators to maximize the capacity of existing power lines.”

Sen. King provided his thoughts regarding the necessity for the legislation.

“The energy grid powers our homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure — and it must evolve to continue serving America for the 21st century,” said Senator King. “As we work to create a sustainable clean energy future, improved and increased transmission is urgently needed to meet that goal. The Advancing GETs Act will create an incentives program to help spur new, smart solutions to expand existing transmission infrastructure. This bill is another step forward in meeting the need for reliable, affordable, and clean electricity.”

The Advancing GETs Act is endorsed by the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA), Electricity Consumers Resource Council, Rewiring America, RMI, Sierra Club, Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), and the WATT Coalition.

With Republican control of the House of Representatives, the right side of the aisle might be hesitant to take up a partisan bill.