You know electricity is generated by wind turbines or coal or nuclear plants. And you know that the light turns on when you flip the switch. But have you ever wondered how the electricity gets from the generation source to your lightbulb?

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As America gets serious about the twin crises of oil dependency and climate change, many analysts believe that wind power--and eventually solar power--will make the largest carbon-free contributions to a new energy supply. But America's aging electrical transmission system is renewable energy's Achilles heel, and unless a broad policy consensus to upgrade our electrical grid is forged soon, the potential of wind and solar power will be vastly diminished.

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The electric transmission system in Minnesota and the Midwest operates near or at capacity much of the time. In 2007, legislation was passed that required a statewide study to identify locations in the transmission grid where a total of 1,200 megawatts of relatively small renewable energy projects (between 10 and 40 megawatts of power) could be operated with little or no change to the existing infrastructure. The study, or Dispersed Renewable Generation Study (DRG), was prepared by electric line experts at Minnesota utilities and managed by a stellar technical review committee, under contract with the Minnesota Office of Energy Security. It was intended to find out if smaller wind energy projects can connect into the lower voltage distribution lines, thereby avoiding the costs and constraints of connecting to the high voltage transmission lines.

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