I share Terry Fitzpatrick’s concerns (“Pennsylvania may not be able to keep all the lights on in four years,” Aug. 6) about the ability of PJM to reliably keep up with projected increases in electricity demand from data centers and electric vehicles, and that is why I support Gov. Shapiro’s proposed PACER and PRESS legislation which will bring investment in clean energy technology to Pennsylvania while improving grid reliability.
Gov. Shapiro’s PRESS proposal would help with grid reliability by encouraging practices that are successfully being used by utilities across the country like distributed generation and demand side management.
Distributed generation gives homes and businesses the ability to generate and store their own power to become more self-sufficient through solar panels and batteries. Demand side management can be used to help make the grid more reliable by programming devices to use electricity when electricity is cheaper and causes less strain on the grid.
PRESS would also include support for technologies like pumped hydro storage and advanced geothermal which provide clean, reliable power.
Dana Siler
Ms. Siler is co-group leader of the Pittsburgh chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby.
First Published: August 18, 2024, 4:00 a.m.