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![handle is hein.journals/sjel10 and id is 1 raw text is: Responsible Energy Storage for a
Renewable Electrical Grid
John M. Longacre*
I. INTRODUCTION
A. The Growing Grid
The United States economy, its national security, and even
the health and safety of its citizens depend on reliably available
electricity. Electricity is largely available through the grid - more
than 9,200 generating units, capable of generating more than one
terawatt of electricity, connected to more than 600,000 miles of
wire.1 The grid extends to nearly everything: from charging
cellphones to cellphone towers, from light emitting diodes to street
lights, and from parking meters to electric cars; the grid has
become ubiquitous.2
The current grid infrastructure has been valued at two
trillion dollars, but much of it is aging to the point of requiring
replacement, which could cost more than four trillion dollars.3
However, the grid cannot simply be replaced: it must be updated to
* Matt Longacre was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, graduated from the
Colorado School of Mines, and graduates from Seattle University School of Law
in May 2020. Matt is interested in legal issues relating to engineering and the
environment, and he plans to practice in Alaska after law school.
1 Grid Modernization and the Smart Grid, U.S. DEP'T OF ENERGY: OFFICE OF
ELECTRICITY, https://www.energy.gov/oe/activities/technology-development/
grid-modernization-and-smart-grid [https://perma.cc/5FGZ-5QCS].
2 GRETCHEN BAKKE, THE GRID: THE FRAYING WIRES BETWEEN AMERICANS
AND OUR ENERGY FUTURE 128 (2017).
3 Joshua D. Rhodes, The Old, Dirty, Creaky US Electric Grid Would Cost $5
Trillion to Replace. Where Should Infrastructure Spending Go?, THE
CONVERSATION (Mar. 16, 2017), https://theconversation.com/the-old-dirty-
creaky-us-electric-grid-would-cost-5-trillion-to-replace-where-should-
infrastructure-spending-go-68290 [https://perma.cc/932P-YJVH].](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/sjel10&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)