We set goals for renewables, net zero energy and carbon free energy. These resource related goals will require a 21st Century distribution grid that is reliable, resilient and still affordable. Will it be our grandfather’s distribution grid? No. 

The electric distribution grid of the future will be a modern, integrated grid that accommodates distributed energy resources like rooftop solar, fuel cells, storage, and vehicle to grid electric vehicles (EV). This increasingly complex grid that delivers the clean electricity that we need for our future will be fundamentally transformed into a new and dynamic technological wonder. Underground electric distribution lines will be an important part of that transformation. Therefore, as we set ambitious goals for clean electricity, we need to do the same for the distribution grid that delivers that electricity. I submit that we need to achieve 50% underground by 2040.