Electricity Is Becoming Unbelievably Expensive as the US Power Grid Decays Into Ruin

[BeaverFever]

Electricity Is Becoming Unbelievably Expensive as the US Power Grid Decays Into Ruin

Shocking.

Joe WilkinsAug 29, 3:19 PM EDT

The US electrical grid is facing a stress test like never before. Thanks to a perfect storm of AI power consumption, climate crisis, crony capitalism,  and a president bent on uprooting perfectly good energy infrastructure, the country's already-struggling power system is rapidly crumbling as costs balloon into the stratosphere.

A recent analysis by Bloombergunderscores just how dire it's getting. In the country's largest continuous grid — a 13-state monstrosity managed by PJM Interconnection LLC — the media company notes that power costs have set record highs for two years in a row.

Spanning from Indiana to eastern New Jersey, PJM's footprint includes some 65 million residents, as well as a constellation of tech industry mega-sites known as Data Center Alley. While the cost of electricity is expected to rise drasticallywith the growth of AI over the next few years, Bloomberg notes that, in PJM states like Michigan, Ohio, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, nearly 25 percent of residents already can't afford their utility bills.

While PJM is a titan among US power suppliers, it's not alone. Across the country, Bloomberg notes that electricity prices rose at over twice the rate of overall inflation over the past year, putting the national price at a near-record high.

As this is happening, the actual condition of the grid is decaying rapidly. A recent report by Bank of America found that nearly a third of transmission infrastructure, like high voltage transmission lines or substations, is already near or beyond its useful life span. Meanwhile, a whopping 46 percent of US distribution infrastructure, including utility poles and power line transformers, was found to be in a similar state.

That makes it all the more baffling that US president Donald Trump is waging an all-out-offensive on perfectly good green energy infrastructure, the kind that experts broadly agree maximizes grid flexibility, reduces energy costs, and enables economic growth.

Earlier this week, Trump's white house stopped construction on a massive wind farm in Rhode Island that was said to be 80 percent complete, as the president asserted that "wind doesn’t work." That project was estimated to provide enough juice to power some 350,000 homes across the east coast, and was just one of many imperiled by the returning administration.

That said, while Trump certainly isn't making things any better, the current crisis is decades in the making.

A major part of the problem is that the United States boasts the only macro grid in the world without a central plan. Unlike the singular grids managed by China or the EU, the US power system is a labyrinthian bureaucracy made-up of three separate grids, each a jumbled mess of various planning regions, territorial authorities, and public-private utility companies.

To get out of this mess will require a comprehensive overhaul of the current setup — one that the current commander is chief is highly unlikely to authorize..

 

https://futurism.com/electricity-usa-expensive-decaying?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=topic%2Fclimatechange

[BeaverFever]

Just now, BeaverFever said:

 

Electricity Is Becoming Unbelievably Expensive as the US Power Grid Decays Into Ruin

Shocking.

Joe WilkinsAug 29, 3:19 PM EDT

The US electrical grid is facing a stress test like never before. Thanks to a perfect storm of AI power consumption, climate crisis, crony capitalism,  and a president bent on uprooting perfectly good energy infrastructure, the country's already-struggling power system is rapidly crumbling as costs balloon into the stratosphere.

A recent analysis by Bloombergunderscores just how dire it's getting. In the country's largest continuous grid — a 13-state monstrosity managed by PJM Interconnection LLC — the media company notes that power costs have set record highs for two years in a row.

Spanning from Indiana to eastern New Jersey, PJM's footprint includes some 65 million residents, as well as a constellation of tech industry mega-sites known as Data Center Alley. While the cost of electricity is expected to rise drasticallywith the growth of AI over the next few years, Bloomberg notes that, in PJM states like Michigan, Ohio, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, nearly 25 percent of residents already can't afford their utility bills.

While PJM is a titan among US power suppliers, it's not alone. Across the country, Bloomberg notes that electricity prices rose at over twice the rate of overall inflation over the past year, putting the national price at a near-record high.

As this is happening, the actual condition of the grid is decaying rapidly. A recent report by Bank of America found that nearly a third of transmission infrastructure, like high voltage transmission lines or substations, is already near or beyond its useful life span. Meanwhile, a whopping 46 percent of US distribution infrastructure, including utility poles and power line transformers, was found to be in a similar state.

That makes it all the more baffling that US president Donald Trump is waging an all-out-offensive on perfectly good green energy infrastructure, the kind that experts broadly agree maximizes grid flexibility, reduces energy costs, and enables economic growth.

Earlier this week, Trump's white house stopped construction on a massive wind farm in Rhode Island that was said to be 80 percent complete, as the president asserted that "wind doesn’t work." That project was estimated to provide enough juice to power some 350,000 homes across the east coast, and was just one of many imperiled by the returning administration.

That said, while Trump certainly isn't making things any better, the current crisis is decades in the making.

A major part of the problem is that the United States boasts the only macro grid in the world without a central plan. Unlike the singular grids managed by China or the EU, the US power system is a labyrinthian bureaucracy made-up of three separate grids, each a jumbled mess of various planning regions, territorial authorities, and public-private utility companies.

To get out of this mess will require a comprehensive overhaul of the current setup — one that the current commander is chief is highly unlikely to authorize..

 

https://futurism.com/electricity-usa-expensive-decaying?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=topic%2Fclimatechange

What’s not mentioned in the article is Trump’s aluminum tariffs, allegedly to increase US aluminum production   Aluminum manufacturing is even more energy intensive than AI and quantum computing, there’s zero chance that America’s patchwork of decrepit, obsolete, highly fragmented and highly privatized can possibly deliver. 
 

Americans and the rest of the world still think of USA as this big shiny utopia but in so many ways its infrastructure and society are weak and crumbling before our eyes. It’t might still have a rep as the heavyweight champion of the world, but it’s not Muhammad Ali in his Prime, It’s Mohammad Ali after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.  It’s been several decades in the making and all political parties at all levels of government are to blame, as is American society in general. . 

[Deluge]

22 minutes ago, BeaverFever said:

 

Electricity Is Becoming Unbelievably Expensive as the US Power Grid Decays Into Ruin

Shocking.

Joe WilkinsAug 29, 3:19 PM EDT

The US electrical grid is facing a stress test like never before. Thanks to a perfect storm of AI power consumption, climate crisis, crony capitalism,  and a president bent on uprooting perfectly good energy infrastructure, the country's already-struggling power system is rapidly crumbling as costs balloon into the stratosphere.

A recent analysis by Bloombergunderscores just how dire it's getting. In the country's largest continuous grid — a 13-state monstrosity managed by PJM Interconnection LLC — the media company notes that power costs have set record highs for two years in a row.

Spanning from Indiana to eastern New Jersey, PJM's footprint includes some 65 million residents, as well as a constellation of tech industry mega-sites known as Data Center Alley. While the cost of electricity is expected to rise drasticallywith the growth of AI over the next few years, Bloomberg notes that, in PJM states like Michigan, Ohio, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, nearly 25 percent of residents already can't afford their utility bills.

While PJM is a titan among US power suppliers, it's not alone. Across the country, Bloomberg notes that electricity prices rose at over twice the rate of overall inflation over the past year, putting the national price at a near-record high.

As this is happening, the actual condition of the grid is decaying rapidly. A recent report by Bank of America found that nearly a third of transmission infrastructure, like high voltage transmission lines or substations, is already near or beyond its useful life span. Meanwhile, a whopping 46 percent of US distribution infrastructure, including utility poles and power line transformers, was found to be in a similar state.

That makes it all the more baffling that US president Donald Trump is waging an all-out-offensive on perfectly good green energy infrastructure, the kind that experts broadly agree maximizes grid flexibility, reduces energy costs, and enables economic growth.

Earlier this week, Trump's white house stopped construction on a massive wind farm in Rhode Island that was said to be 80 percent complete, as the president asserted that "wind doesn’t work." That project was estimated to provide enough juice to power some 350,000 homes across the east coast, and was just one of many imperiled by the returning administration.

That said, while Trump certainly isn't making things any better, the current crisis is decades in the making.

A major part of the problem is that the United States boasts the only macro grid in the world without a central plan. Unlike the singular grids managed by China or the EU, the US power system is a labyrinthian bureaucracy made-up of three separate grids, each a jumbled mess of various planning regions, territorial authorities, and public-private utility companies.

To get out of this mess will require a comprehensive overhaul of the current setup — one that the current commander is chief is highly unlikely to authorize..

 

https://futurism.com/electricity-usa-expensive-decaying?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=topic%2Fclimatechange

The problem's been identified and apparently solutions are already in motion. 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/strengthening-the-reliability-and-security-of-the-united-states-electric-grid/

The best thing you can do now is engage in tree worship: pray that climate change will somehow wipe all good Americans off the face of the Earth. 

[Legato]

9 minutes ago, BeaverFever said:

What’s not mentioned in the article is Trump’s aluminum tariffs, allegedly to increase US aluminum production   Aluminum manufacturing is even more energy intensive than AI and quantum computing, there’s zero chance that America’s patchwork of decrepit, obsolete, highly fragmented and highly privatized can possibly deliver. 
 

Americans and the rest of the world still think of USA as this big shiny utopia but in so many ways its infrastructure and society are weak and crumbling before our eyes. It’t might still have a rep as the heavyweight champion of the world, but it’s not Muhammad Ali in his Prime, It’s Mohammad Ali after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.  It’s been several decades in the making and all political parties at all levels of government are to blame, as is American society in general. . 

Woopee!!!  Lets mandate electrickery vehicles, windmills you plug in when the winds not blowing to keep them turning and halogen lights to shine on the solar panels at night.

That should fix it.

[User]

I love how you try to make this some petty trolling attack on America. 

Are you feeling insecure about being a Canadian today?

 

[herbie]

It's criminal.. end all those EV chargers so I can afford to power my 2000w gaming graphics card.

Start $10 T worth of planning those nukes now, they'll be running just as NYC goes underwater.

[CdnFox]

53 minutes ago, BeaverFever said:

 

Electricity Is Becoming Unbelievably Expensive as the US Power Grid Decays Into Ruin

Shocking.

Joe WilkinsAug 29, 3:19 PM EDT

The US electrical grid is facing a stress test like never before. Thanks to a perfect storm of AI power consumption, climate crisis, crony capitalism,  and a president bent on uprooting perfectly good energy infrastructure, the country's already-struggling power system is rapidly crumbling as costs balloon into the stratosphere.

A recent analysis by Bloombergunderscores just how dire it's getting. In the country's largest continuous grid — a 13-state monstrosity managed by PJM Interconnection LLC — the media company notes that power costs have set record highs for two years in a row.

Spanning from Indiana to eastern New Jersey, PJM's footprint includes some 65 million residents, as well as a constellation of tech industry mega-sites known as Data Center Alley. While the cost of electricity is expected to rise drasticallywith the growth of AI over the next few years, Bloomberg notes that, in PJM states like Michigan, Ohio, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, nearly 25 percent of residents already can't afford their utility bills.

While PJM is a titan among US power suppliers, it's not alone. Across the country, Bloomberg notes that electricity prices rose at over twice the rate of overall inflation over the past year, putting the national price at a near-record high.

As this is happening, the actual condition of the grid is decaying rapidly. A recent report by Bank of America found that nearly a third of transmission infrastructure, like high voltage transmission lines or substations, is already near or beyond its useful life span. Meanwhile, a whopping 46 percent of US distribution infrastructure, including utility poles and power line transformers, was found to be in a similar state.

That makes it all the more baffling that US president Donald Trump is waging an all-out-offensive on perfectly good green energy infrastructure, the kind that experts broadly agree maximizes grid flexibility, reduces energy costs, and enables economic growth.

Earlier this week, Trump's white house stopped construction on a massive wind farm in Rhode Island that was said to be 80 percent complete, as the president asserted that "wind doesn’t work." That project was estimated to provide enough juice to power some 350,000 homes across the east coast, and was just one of many imperiled by the returning administration.

That said, while Trump certainly isn't making things any better, the current crisis is decades in the making.

A major part of the problem is that the United States boasts the only macro grid in the world without a central plan. Unlike the singular grids managed by China or the EU, the US power system is a labyrinthian bureaucracy made-up of three separate grids, each a jumbled mess of various planning regions, territorial authorities, and public-private utility companies.

To get out of this mess will require a comprehensive overhaul of the current setup — one that the current commander is chief is highly unlikely to authorize..

 

https://futurism.com/electricity-usa-expensive-decaying?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=topic%2Fclimatechange

You really made a fool of yourself with this pap. 

the grid is under stress from trump? The guy's been here like 5 minutes.  And "chrony capitalism"? Couldn't find anything that used "neocon"? LOLOL

Good grief kid, couldn't you find something MORE credible? LIke maybe an explanation as to why the earth's flat? 🙄🙄🙄

Don't post that kind of drivel, it just makes you look bad. Youj're not robosmith for god's sake. 

[BeaverFever]

51 minutes ago, Deluge said:

The problem's been identified and apparently solutions are already in motion. 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/strengthening-the-reliability-and-security-of-the-united-states-electric-grid/

The best thing you can do now is engage in tree worship: pray that climate change will somehow wipe all good Americans off the face of the Earth. 

LMAO praying for you mr god Trump to save you isn’t going to accomplish anything. Trump is a big part of the problem and his executive order to just study the issue isn’t going to accomplish anything. Mandates to burn more coal which is one of the most inefficient energy sources isn’t helping while killing more efficient renewables isn’t helping. 

53 minutes ago, Legato said:

Woopee!!!  Lets mandate electrickery vehicles, windmills you plug in when the winds not blowing to keep them turning and halogen lights to shine on the solar panels at night.

That should fix it.

You don’t know what you’re talking about. 

[User]

1 minute ago, BeaverFever said:

LMAO praying for you mr god Trump to save you isn’t going to accomplish anything. Trump is a big part of the problem and his executive order to just study the issue isn’t going to accomplish anything. Mandates to burn more coal which is one of the most inefficient energy sources isn’t helping while killing more efficient renewables isn’t helping. 

If your are so concerned with burning coal, why is Canada shipping it off to China to burn?

You folks love to play this dumb dishonest game, as if you care about any of this, when you just ship it all off to China while you pretend as if because Canada is not burning the coal, that makes it all OK. 

[BeaverFever]

24 minutes ago, CdnFox said:

You really made a fool of yourself with this pap. 

the grid is under stress from trump? The guy's been here like 5 minutes.  And "chrony capitalism"? Couldn't find anything that used "neocon"? LOLOL

Good grief kid, couldn't you find something MORE credible? LIke maybe an explanation as to why the earth's flat? 🙄🙄🙄

Don't post that kind of drivel, it just makes you look bad. Youj're not robosmith for god's sake. 

Once again your ADHD is showing. Slow down and read the entire article start to finish, then think before you type.  The article clearly states the problem predates trump but his policies and killing new energy projects are only going to make it worse. Yes, crony capitalism. Its a very big thing in USA since time immemorial. 

[BeaverFever]

20 minutes ago, User said:

If your are so concerned with burning coal, why is Canada shipping it off to China to burn?

You folks love to play this dumb dishonest game, as if you care about any of this, when you just ship it all off to China while you pretend as if because Canada is not burning the coal, that makes it all OK. 

First of all, most of Canada’s coal exports are metallurgical coal aka coking coal not thermal coal. Coking coal is a vital ingredient in steel manufacturing, it is not burned for energy generation like thermal coal.

Second of all, there is only one province in Canada (Saskatchewan) that still burns coal for energy. Even pollution-loving right wing wanna-be America province of Alberta has transitioned off of it.  Certainly no political leaders are encouraging anyone to burn MORE coal, unlike Republicans and coal state politicians.  Several Canadian provinces including the 3 largest produce virtually all or at least most of their energy free from any fossil fuel emissions and most have roadmaps to increase the percentage

Third, ICYMI the article is not focusing on the environment, it’s on skyrocketing US electricity prices and its decrepit energy grid. By comparison the electricity prices in Canada especially Quebec are significantly lower than USA because Canadian grids are more modern and well managed unlike America’s. That’s why USA depends on Canadian aluminum from Quebec and can’t produce its own at scale  The tariffs just mean Americans will be paying more for their products that contain aluminum, much of it from Canada  

 

Edited August 30, 2025 by BeaverFever

[BeaverFever]

1 hour ago, User said:

I love how you try to make this some petty trolling attack on America. 

Are you feeling insecure about being a Canadian today?

 

Pointing out the very obvious very serious flaws in your infrastructure is not petty especially when you depend on energy imports from Canada and are tariffing energy-intensive aluminum from Canada that you depend upon and can’t produce in sufficient quantity yourself. 

[User]

7 minutes ago, BeaverFever said:

First of all, most of Canada’s coal exports are metallurgical coal aka coking coal not thermal coal. Coking coal is a vital ingredient in steel manufacturing, it is not burned for energy generation like thermal coal.

First of all, this doesn't change the fact that you are shipping coal off to burn. OMG, it is amazing that you put this much effort into typing this much nonsense. Both thermal and coking coal produce CO2, and coking produces methane, both of which contribute to climate change as greenhouse gases. 

9 minutes ago, BeaverFever said:

Second of all, there is only one province in Canada (Saskatchewan) that still burns coal for energy.

So what? This is the point I just made, folks like you brag about this stuff, while you defend shipping it all off to China instead. 

 

[CdnFox]

29 minutes ago, BeaverFever said:

Once again your ADHD is showing. Slow down and read the entire article start to finish, then think before you type.  The article clearly states the problem predates trump but his policies and killing new energy projects are only going to make it worse. Yes, crony capitalism. Its a very big thing in USA since time immemorial. 

Kid  i read the article. 

The article starts off with a falsehood.  it goes on to explain that it's falsehood is false.  That does not make it less of a false hood. 

It's a proaganda piece written by a biased non thinking twat regurgitating talking point garbage.   And it doesn't make you look good for posting it and it makes you look WORSE for trying to defend it 

It's garbage and you're garbage for trying to sell it as not garbage  

Do better. 

[Deluge]

32 minutes ago, BeaverFever said:

LMAO praying for you mr god Trump to save you isn’t going to accomplish anything.

Because your rainbow crystal ball says so, right dumbass? lol

The problem's been identified, and solutions are in motion. What's important to understand here, is that your dipshit climate hysterics has nothing to do with the problem. 

Follow the science, not the activism.  

[CdnFox]

6 minutes ago, User said:

First of all, this doesn't change the fact that you are shipping coal off to burn. OMG, it is amazing that you put this much effort into typing this much nonsense. Both thermal and coking coal produce CO2, and coking produces methane, both of which contribute to climate change as greenhouse gases. 

 

This. 

Also, @BeaverFever  lied when he said most of our coal is coke. 

"Nearly half of the coal produced in Canada is thermal and half is metallurgical.

The coal hub

It's about 50 50. as far as how the coal is used.  He tried to lie and make it sound like the vast majority is metallurgic but that's just not true.  We tend to ship metallurgic but of all the coal we mine half is burned for heating anyway so he's wrong twice. 

Also: 

Canada is the seventh largest exporter of coal in the world. In 2023, Canada accounted for 3.4% of global seaborne coal shipments. Canada’s seaborne coal exports in the 12 months of 2023 increased by +9.6% y-o-y to 49.9 mln tonnes. This followed a decline of -0.9% y-oy in 2022, and a +7.1% y-o-y increase in 2021.

In the first 2 months of 2024, coal exports from Canada increased further by +3.3% y-o-y to 7.4 mln tonnes, from 7.1 mln t in Jan-Feb 2023, and 6.7 mln t in Jan-Feb 2022.

Edited August 30, 2025 by CdnFox

[Legato]

46 minutes ago, BeaverFever said:

LMAO praying for you mr god Trump to save you isn’t going to accomplish anything. Trump is a big part of the problem and his executive order to just study the issue isn’t going to accomplish anything. Mandates to burn more coal which is one of the most inefficient energy sources isn’t helping while killing more efficient renewables isn’t helping. 

You don’t know what you’re talking about. 

Seems like everyone knows more than you and that's giving you credit for something everyone knows.

[User]

22 minutes ago, BeaverFever said:

Pointing out the very obvious very serious flaws in your infrastructure is not petty especially when you depend on energy imports from Canada and are tariffing energy-intensive aluminum from Canada that you depend upon and can’t produce in sufficient quantity yourself. 

If only you put this much effort into being more honest and factual in all your postings here instead of this petty trolling. 

 

[robosmith]

1 hour ago, Legato said:

Woopee!!!  Lets mandate electrickery vehicles, windmills you plug in when the winds not blowing to keep them turning and halogen lights to shine on the solar panels at night.

That should fix it.

Someone needs to fix your brain. 

[BeaverFever]

1 hour ago, Legato said:

Seems like everyone knows more than you and that's giving you credit for something everyone knows.

Wow, that’s a lame comeback.
 

To recap: I posted an article which you couldn’t refute so you responded with gibberish that didn’t have anything to do with article and contained zero facts

1 hour ago, User said:

If only you put this much effort into being more honest and factual in all your postings here instead of this petty trolling. 

 

What is not honest or factual, exactly?

[Aristides]

2 hours ago, User said:

If your are so concerned with burning coal, why is Canada shipping it off to China to burn?

You folks love to play this dumb dishonest game, as if you care about any of this, when you just ship it all off to China while you pretend as if because Canada is not burning the coal, that makes it all OK. 

It’s US thermal coal Canada is shipping to China. There is a lot of opposition to it.

Edited August 30, 2025 by Aristides

[herbie]

Fellow "communist" these m0rons think we're dissing Trump, nor their ultra-capitalist privatize the power grid while we tell everyone to hide under the bed from socialist menaces like Hydro Quebec and BC hydro.

Of course these twats will let everything run down to shit while they keep raising prices, that's how you make the most money. Eventually they'll convince the dupes the State or the Feds will have ro subsidize new plant and cut their taxes so they'll make even more.
That's how it works, but most fools don't believe it.

[Legato]

2 hours ago, BeaverFever said:

Wow, that’s a lame comeback.
 

To recap: I posted an article which you couldn’t refute so you responded with gibberish that didn’t have anything to do with article and contained zero facts

What is not honest or factual, exactly?

Comeback? How is it possible to recap nonsense?

[BeaverFever]

19 minutes ago, Legato said:

Comeback? How is it possible to recap nonsense?

It’s not which is why i don’t even bother trying to translate you gibberish and trolling. 3 posts into this thread you still have not mustered an intelligent rebuttal to the OP, you’re just trolling. 

[Army Guy]

6 hours ago, User said:

I love how you try to make this some petty trolling attack on America. 

Are you feeling insecure about being a Canadian today?

 

everyday....