The U.S. electrical grid as we know it today is a massive network of machinery consisting of hundreds of thousands of miles of transmission and distribution lines and tens of thousands of substations and transformers. In 1882, the first power was delivered to New York City from the Pearl Street Station, kicking off the development of the modern electric grid as we know it today.

The first in a series of webinars addressing the challenges facing our electric grid, this panel explored the historic development of the grid and the new era of transmission projects underway in the region, highlighting the Propel NY Energy transmission project in New York State.

Over 500,000 miles of transmission wires and millions of miles of distribution wires span the United States, connecting individual generating units with homes, businesses, and industry. This network of power plants and power lines is known as the grid, and is one of the largest and most complex machines humans have ever built. This lab post seeks to break down the different components of the grid as well as the governing regulatory structures.

Our energy system is undergoing a once in a generation shift in demand, the likes of which have not been seen since American homes purchased new household appliances en masse in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. Grid operators, utility companies, and government agencies throughout the United States are forecasting a massive load growth over the next 25 years, largely attributed to two factors: the electrification of buildings and vehicles, and the addition of large load data centers needed to meet the increased use of cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

In June 2025, the average residential electricity customer in New Jersey saw their monthly electricity bill increase between 17 to 20%. This post aims to understand what has driven the recent rate hikes by looking into the factors involved in setting rate prices, who is responsible for setting them, and what steps could be taken to avoid future rate spikes.

The second in a series of webinars addressing the challenges facing our electric grid, this esteemed panel of policy, advocacy, and practitioner experts discussed the troubles plaguing offshore wind transmission and considered how advocacy and action can make our states offshore-wind ready, despite the current federal administration’s actions.

At the beginning of November, nearly 75 individuals from government, academia, the business community, labor leaders, and industry and policy experts gathered at Hofstra University for a timely panel discussion on how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the rise of data centers are reshaping New York’s energy landscape.

The State of the Grid in Connecticut is good — for now — with need for improvements in the future. With Connecticut ratepayers facing some of the highest electric bills in the country, state lawmakers and utilities must thread the needle between energy affordability and future grid reliability.

Electricity rates are soaring across the region and the country. Power demand from data centers, electrification, and other large-scale projects has increased exponentially, while growth in supply has not come close to keeping pace. This lab post seeks to break down what is in the average electricity bill, and show some of the largest drivers of price increases in the region.

The current state of the electrical grid in New York is uncertain–the upstate region, while reliable now, is seeing potential for large load growth leading to reliability shortfalls, and the downstate region faces significant reliability challenges starting as soon as summer, 2026.

• The State of the Grid in New Jersey: In this forthcoming report, RPA will examine New Jersey’s complicated grid and the inconsistency in reliability that the state faces.