Can Aging Grid Handle New Green Power?

One new transmission interconnection designed to hook up power from yet-to-be built offshore wind farms is currently priced at more than $1 billion by the state. It is the first of several such lines that are expected to be needed for future wind projects.

Officials tasked with determining how to allocate the costs of transitioning to a clean-energy economy face the same dilemma regarding grid upgrades. The so-far unanswered question is how much customers should be asked to foot the expense of developing costly new — but cleaner — ways of generating electricity and what incentives ought to be provided by the state and federal government.