Before the coronavirus pandemic hit, demand for electricity had already been flat or declining on most utility grids in the United States for a decade. But with 297 million people—90 percent of the US population—now under “shelter in place” or “stay at home” orders, the load on utility systems is declining even more. And that creates a significant challenge for the US utility sector, whose business model is essentially based on growth. Fortunately, the need to decarbonize our economy presents new opportunities to increase electricity demand beneficially. And doing that—particularly by electrifying transportation—has never been cheaper or easier to do than it is now.
Report from RMI: After the Pandemic, Use EVs to Absorb Spare Utility Capacity
