Building Tomorrow’s Grid: Lessons from the U.S and China

The rapid expansion of renewable generation is reshaping electricity systems in both the United States and China. China has built the world's largest transmission network to connect renewable energy bases with major demand centers, while the United States has identified hundreds of billions of dollars in transmission needs but continues to face long permitting timelines and growing interconnection queues. Transmission planning and grid investment now sit alongside renewable deployment as central priorities for the energy transition. This panel brings together policymakers, grid operators, researchers, and industry representatives from the United States and China. Panelists will discuss transmission planning and grid expansion, as well as the institutions shaping investment in grid infrastructure. The discussion focuses on how different approaches to building and governing the grid are influencing the pace of decarbonization.