Why the Grid Matters
A phone charging on a kitchen counter. A fridge humming through the night. A child bent over homework by lamplight. The grid makes all of it possible.
The Grid Powers the World
We have relied on electricity since the first power station lit up New York City in 1882. But the grid has not kept pace. Demand is outrunning what ageing infrastructure can handle. Supply chains for grid components are slow and expensive. And when grids hit capacity, wind and solar power gets curtailed—wasted, because there's nowhere for it to go. We exist to fix that.
When grids fall short, people pay the price
For 140 years, society has built everything on the assumption that the lights will come on. Homes, hospitals, transport, our phones and computers—all of it depends on the grid.
That assumption has a cost. And it is being paid by people who had no say in the delay. Blackouts hit hardest where infrastructure is oldest. Power outages already cost the global economy $100 billion a year—and the bill lands with the people least able to pay it.
There is a solution. Renewable energy is, in many markets, the lowest-cost option for power. But we are limited by the current grid’s inability to integrate renewables. Modernising and expanding grid infrastructure does more than improve efficiency. It opens the door to clean and affordable power for everyone.
How to Modernise the Grid
Build a bigger system
More infrastructure means more reach. More power lines, more connection points, and ultimately more affordable electricity for the people who need it most.
Make the grid smart and digital
The existing grid network needs to work harder. Digitising it — real-time monitoring, smart automation, AI-driven balancing — is already underway. Digital technology has grown from 12% to 20% of total grid investment in recent years. The direction is right. The pace needs to catch up.
Meet demand with supply
Energy demand changes constantly, and the grid needs to meet it. We must maintain a reliable system, backed with alternative sources of energy and electricity storage systems.
Make reliability a priority
As the grid expands and takes over from fossil fuels, we must find new ways to keep the energy supply stable—weathering technical issues and sharing high-quality electricity.
Read the research behind our mission
IEA: Electricity Grids and Secure Energy Transitions
Grids are becoming the bottleneck in the shift to clean energy. We need faster investment, smarter planning and better coordination to keep electricity reliable.
Read the report
GridLab: Innovative Approaches to System Planning and Modelling
Power systems only work with more renewable energy if grids, storage and demand can flex—planning tools must change across the different stages.
Read the paper
NREL: Status of Power System Transformation: Leading Topics of 2024
Decarbonising power systems means rebuilding how they run. Grids, storage, EVs and markets must work together to keep electricity reliable as demand shifts.
Read the paper
IEA: System Integration of Renewables: Lessons from International Experience
Grids can handle far more renewable energy than you might think—as long as our approach to flexibility, planning and investment evolves.
Read the paper