As families across the country struggle with rising costs, energy-intensive industries like AI and data centers could drive household bills even higher if we do not act quickly to meet this rising demand. But not all households and businesses will be impacted equally. Energy policy choices are driving higher rate hikes and increasing risks of blackouts in the region overseen by PJM Interconnection, a Regional Transmission Organization which covers 67 million people across 13 states and the District of Columbia.
PJM has failed to plan for future power needs, acting too slowly to integrate thousands of reliable energy projects, including solar, wind and battery storage. That is leading to higher costs compared to a state like Texas, whose grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), has allowed the market to develop battery storage and renewable resources at a historic pace.
By following Texas’ lead and allowing more renewable energy and battery storage resources to be built, PJM can prevent price spikes, avoid blackouts, and meet rising demand.
