(Greenfield) Holi Weston, CEO of Farmer’s Electric in Greenfield, wrote an article in the company newsletter stating that electricity demand is ever-changing and fast-growing.
Weston says demand rose 2.5 percent in 2024 and is expected to grow by another 3.2 percent this year. That was after co-ops saw a 4.8 percent increase in 2022. Through 2029, the nation’s peak demand is projected to grow by 38 gigawatts. She notes that is equivalent to adding another California-sized state to our nation’s power grid. Weston says our reliance on technology drives the demand in every part of our daily lives.
Weston says data centers and facilities like warehouses require a large, steady supply of electricity 24 hours per day. She says that means our power supplier, Central Iowa Power Cooperative, cannot rely on intermittent sources of electricity, such as solar or wind energy, to handle the additional load. Weston says they need more of what is known as baseload or always-available power, much of which is currently generated by burning fossil fuels. She says the more we depend on technology, the more we will need reliable baseload generation.
Weston says Americans use more electricity; power providers are forced to shut down reliable baseload power sources such as coal and nuclear power plants. She says many large coal plants have been converted to use cleaner-burning natural gas, but others have been deemed too costly to convert and are prematurely being shut down. More than 110 gigawatts of always-available generation- enough to power about 35 million homes- are forecast to retire by 2033.
Weston says, in other words, at the same time, everyone is using more electricity than ever, and the supply of the most reliable source is drying up. As renewables become more efficient and cheaper to produce, their share of the power mix will only continue to grow. Soon, battery technology may reach the point where large-scale storage of renewable, generation becomes possible, but until then, we will need more of those always-available power sources.
