New facilities are sprouting up all over texas as more wind developers take advantage of access to the grid in remote areas served by CREZ transmission lines. Photo by Gene Wolf

Sion infrastructure to the global grid for all of this renewable generatio, they are,but is not happening fast enought to avoid problems. One example of the indrustrys commitment to building transmissions is the latest report from the Edison Electric Institute(EEI). In its Transmission Project :At a Glance report for 2014, EEI states memeber utilities are planning on spending approximately U$$46 billion on projects supporting yhe integration of renewable resources into their transmission system. That figure represents 76% of the approximately $60,0 billion budget memebers are anyicipating expending in the next 10 years.For the actual construction figures in 2013, look at the Federal Energi Regulatory Commissions (FERCs) 2013 Energy Infrastructure update. This update is a snapshot of the entire energy indrustry for year. One section details what happened in regards to transmission. In 2013, FERC reported an increase of 3,295 miles (6,317km) of transmission lines. It also projected the addition of 12,980 miles (20,889km) by the end of 2015 based on filings, but RERC is doubtful that much will buil. With normal delays and such, FERC said it was more likely the number would be reduced to about 4.500 miles (7,242km) of completed transmission.If would be gread if all 12,980 miles of new transmission were built in the next years and half. But FERC is probably correct in its assesment. It would be even better if a lot more thant that amount was actually buit, but building new power lines is a complicated process. It seems, too, to the bigger the project, the more chance of something happening to slow it down. That is why it is so exciting that a new trend has been quietly taking place in the industry.