Power grid

Energy leaders recently gathered at Stanford to discuss ways to quickly expand the U.S. electricity supply and infrastructure to meet growing demand. A new report summarizes their key ideas for policymakers.

To help speed decarbonization, state regulators should plan around a unified energy sector, according to a new Stanford-led report. Without coordinated action, the energy transition could become slower, more expensive, and more inequitable, the authors warn.

As power grids rely more on renewable energy sources like wind and solar, balancing energy supply and demand becomes more challenging. A new analysis shows how water systems, such as desalination plants and wastewater treatment facilities, could help enhance grid stability and create new revenue streams.

Heat waves, droughts, and fires place growing stress on the West’s electric grid. Stanford research suggests that more integrated management of electricity resources across the region could significantly reduce the risk of power outages and accelerate the transition to clean energy.

A new white paper from Stanford researchers analyzes Western investor-owned utilities’ wildfire mitigation plans, highlighting those that are leading the way and identifying steps utilities with exposure to wildfire risk should be taking.

The four new projects aim for decarbonized cement, large-scale hydrogen storage, a reliable electric grid, and more natural ventilation in buildings.

An international team, led by Rice University, seeks to improve the synthesis of carbon nanotubes for much wider use.

Stanford research finds low-income communities in California face a “wildfire safety deficit” as a result of longstanding policies about who should pay to move power lines underground.