A National Clean-Energy Grid?

Jon Wellinghoff, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, imagines a national clean-energy grid in the near future. Scientific American conducts an in-depth interview. “Wellinghoff’s goal is to enable a near total transformation of the electricity sector, allowing for renewable resources, such as the sun, wind and flow of rivers, to meet a greater proportion of U.S. electricity demand. The benefits, according to Wellinghoff, range from “green” jobs to cutting by 80 percent emissions of the greenhouse gases causing climate change by 2050. And, ultimately, electricity harvested from the wind may be the cheapest form of electricity generation, saving money for consumers.”