As thousands of industry professionals walked around DTECH in San Diego a couple of weeks ago, the atmosphere was different than usual. Usually, these events focus on the next big battery or a shiny new turbine. But this year, the hottest discussions were about something practical: we are running out of space on our power lines.
If you've been examining your company's planning maps, you know what I mean. We're seeing massive AI data centers rising like mushrooms, all urgently demanding power. Meanwhile, wind and solar projects face years-long delays. For decades, our industry was based on a simple idea: if you need power, build lines. But constructing a new transmission line today is a ten-year ordeal. Due to permitting, land rights, and material costs, we cannot build our way out of this quickly.
