Shift Key with Robinson Meyer Shift Key Classic: How to Hook Up More Power Plants
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Aug 27, 2025 
Tyler Norris, a doctoral student at Duke's Nicholas Institute, and Claire Wayner, a senior associate at RMI, dive into the pressing issue of integrating renewable energy into the U.S. power grid. They address the daunting interconnection queue that delays new projects and explore innovative solutions like automation in processing. The duo also discusses the transition from coal to gas, lessons learned from Texas's energy strategies, and the urgent need for reform to streamline interconnection processes and accelerate clean energy deployment.
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Speculation Multiplies Queue Workload
- Developers submit multiple projects to hedge study risk, creating 'queue stacking' and multiplying workload.
- This speculative portfolio behavior forces operators to study many projects that may never be built.
Delays Raise Prices And Risk Reliability
- Interconnection delays raise costs and threaten reliability in different markets.
- PJM's capacity auction spike and ERCOT's success in interconnecting solar illustrate cost and reliability impacts respectively.
Texas Interconnection Supported Recent Reliability
- ERCOT has experienced rapid load growth but avoided major outages during record summer peaks.
- Their ability to interconnect solar and storage rapidly contributed materially to reliability.