Current:Home > InvestGreen energy gridlock-LoTradeCoin
Green energy gridlock
View Date:2024-12-23 22:43:37
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."
veryGood! (29932)
Related
- Lala Kent Swears by This Virgo-Approved Accessory and Shares Why Stassi Schroeder Inspires Her Fall Style
- 4-year-old girl in Texas shot by grandpa accidentally in stable condition: Authorities
- 2 children struck and killed as they walked to Maryland elementary school
- Black Friday shopping sales have started. Here's what you need to know.
- Man who stole and laundered roughly $1B in bitcoin is sentenced to 5 years in prison
- U.N. says it's unable to make aid deliveries to Gaza due to lack of fuel
- Horoscopes Today, November 20, 2023
- Nearly 1,000 Rohingya refugees arrive by boat in Indonesia’s Aceh region in one week
- Shawn Mendes Confesses He and Camila Cabello Are No Longer the Closest
- Julianna Margulies: My non-Jewish friends, your silence on antisemitism is loud
Ranking
- Lou Donaldson, jazz saxophonist who blended many influences, dead at 98
- New Mexico Supreme Court weighs GOP challenge to congressional map, swing district boundaries
- After trying to buck trend, newspaper founded with Ralph Nader’s succumbs to financial woes
- OSHA finds plant explosion that killed 1 person could have been prevented
- Surfer Bethany Hamilton Makes Masked Singer Debut After 3-Year-Old Nephew’s Tragic Death
- 2023 NFL MVP odds: Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts tied for lead before 'Monday Night Football'
- Boston Bruins forward Lucic to be arraigned on assault charge after wife called police to their home
- Finland’s prime minister hints at further border action as Russia protests closings of crossings
Recommendation
-
'We suffered great damage': Fierce California wildfire burns homes, businesses
-
Taylor Swift fan dies at Rio concert amid complaints about excessive heat
-
What you need to know about Emmett Shear, OpenAI’s new interim CEO
-
Americans say money can buy happiness. Here's their price tag.
-
Jana Duggar Reveals She's Adjusting to City Life Amid Move Away From Farm
-
Are Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev Ready for Baby No. 2? She Says...
-
Tom Selleck's 'Blue Bloods' to end on CBS next fall after 14 seasons: 'It's been an honor'
-
60 years after JFK’s death, today’s Kennedys choose other paths to public service