Every stakeholder concerned about the electricity sector—industry, consumers, states, federal government, NGOs, and generation companies—are looking at a challenging future. Achieving a significant long-term reduction in U.S. carbon emissions by 2050 will require replacing or greatly modifying most of the existing generation plants, building major new transmission facilities, and electrifying significant portions of the transportation sector. Throughout this daunting transition, the U.S. must keepthe lights on and electricity prices reasonable. Development of renewable energy and other low-carbon resources in the U.S. should not be discussed without first addressing the role of the electrical grid system (both high voltage transmission and distribution). The U.S.'s current system is in need of upgrading. In many instances, the grid is not physically located in the areas of abundant renewable energy resources. The system's degrading condition and limited capacity is influencing renewable energy developments in significant ways. To successfully prepare the U.S. energy network for the installation of vast amounts of new renewable energy, major investments in grid research and infrastructure will be required.
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