State of the U.S. Grid · September 2026
The grid wasn't built for what's coming.
For decades, America's electricity use barely grew. Now it's jumping — AI data centers, new factories, electric cars and hotter summers. The grid can't grow that fast. The problem isn't making power. It's getting it to you.
New demand coming by 2035
+0GW
NERCPower built but stuck waiting to plug in
0+ GW
Berkeley LabWait to connect a new power project
0+ years
Berkeley Lab · DOEWait for a new neighborhood transformer
0+ years
NREL · DOEWe're not out of power. We're out of room to move it.
The signature problem
The grid bottleneck
Power makes a long trip to reach your outlet — and your whole street shares the last stretch. Tap anything.
2026 → 2035
America doesn't have an energy shortage. It has an infrastructure bottleneck.
There's plenty of power waiting to be built — 2,060 GW, more than every power plant in America today. What's missing is room to move it. And every new wire and transformer gets paid for the same way: by raising your rate.
40¢what Edison homes pay per kWh right now — some pay 47¢Grid Stability bill analysis · Sept 2026
~6.5%/yrhow fast Edison rates have really grown: 18.9¢ in 2014 → 40¢ today, compounding every yearComputed from SCE 2014 rates and Sept 2026 bills
70¢what today's 40¢ becomes by 2035 if that pace continues — and data centers may push it higherProjection at ~6.5%/yr · data-center study: +6–29% by 2030
Try your rate:40¢
in 203052¢
in 203570¢
at the real Edison pace, ~6.5% a yearDemand jumps
AI, factories and electric cars need far more power than anyone planned for. Utilities ask to raise rates to keep up.
The grid isn't collapsing. It's changing shape.
Energy independence
Your home becomes a power plant.
For 100 years power went one way: plant → grid → home. Now your roof makes power, your battery saves it, and thousands of homes together act like one big power plant. A home that used to stress the grid becomes the fix — and gets paid for it.
What’s a “virtual power plant”?
On July 29, 2025, California switched on 100,000 home batteries at the same time — Tesla Powerwalls and Sunrun systems. Together they sent 535 megawatts to the grid, as much as a real power plant. Tesla pays those homes $2 for every kWh they send. Grid Stability sets your home up the same way — and you get paid for the power you make.
Solar generatesYour roof makes power right where you use it.
Battery storesExtra daytime power is saved for night and for outages.
Home runs on its ownYour lights stay on even when the grid goes down.
Virtual power plantExtra power goes to your neighbors — and you get paid for it.
$0 for homes that use a lot of power
$24,900out of pocket
It used to cost thousands. For high-use homes it's now fully paid for — panels, battery and installation (about $24,900 worth).
Redirectthe money you already pay for power pays for this — at a lower rate
Stabilizeyour home stops stressing the grid and starts helping it
Independenceyour own power, day and night, outage or not
Earnget paid for the power you send back
See if your home qualifies
Availability varies by utility territory and usage.