Something that isn't spoken about enough is that in developed Western countries, grids are actually significantly oversized due to reductions in electricity usage over time [1]. That link says 16% over, but the peak demand in the UK in 2024 was actually only 45MW [2], which I make more like a 30% reduction from the all-time peak.

Because of this, it feels like we should already have enough transmission capacity in a decent part of the network to cope with a re-organisation of where the sources and sinks are placed. Yes, we might need to do some work in the last mile, especially if V2G takes off, but things aren't nearly as bad as one might naively assume.

[1] https://www.nationalgrid.com/stories/journey-to-net-zero-sto...

[2] https://www.neso.energy/news/britains-electricity-explained-...

It depends. In a neighboring county they have effectively saturated the grid and had to put a hold on datacenter permits. AI has been undoing a bunch of the efficiency savings we worked hard for in the past 20-30 years.

The trouble is the capacity is in the wrong place; the UK closed coal plants in (defunct) coalfields in the middle of the country, and built offshore wind farms which tend to be further north. There's plans for an offshore north-south connector to help with this.

In some parts of my country the grid provider has needed to restrict new industrial connections because the grid is hitting its limits.

https://yle-fi.translate.goog/a/74-20138415?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x...

Electricity needs are expected to rise significantly as we convert heating and transportation to electric.

> in developed Western countries, grids are actually significantly oversized

Your sources really only apply to Britain and other deïndustrialising countries. American and European energy demand is rising due to electrification and AI.

> peak demand in the UK in 2024 was actually only 45MW

It was actually 1000 times that much.