Dear Friends,

Solutionary Rail has long advocated for co-locating electric transmission on railroad rights of way in order to build a national super-grid. Our 2016 book and subsequent work has consistently pointed out that the failed reliance on private initiatives to create new, contiguous transmission corridors is folly. Maps of US wind and solar resources demonstrate the potential for abundant, affordable electricity and opportunities for rural communities, electric utilities, and tribes (not to mention railroads, industry, and the public) to benefit from use of existing rights of way.

Over the years, Solutionary Rail has advocated for federal action to describe not just the need for transmission, but also the value of such investments and the cost of failing to to so. In fall of 2024, a study from the Department of Energy's Grid Development Office did just that. It analyzed the potential savings the US could capture if transmission investments are made. That study compared three technologies:

1. Conventional high voltage alternating current (HVAC) transmission, i.e. “AC” in the bar chart,
2. High voltage direct current (HVDC), currently used for efficient point to point transmission, i.e. “P2P” in the bar chart, and
3. Multi-terminal HVDC, i.e. "MT" in the bar chart, utilizing advanced multi-terminal converters, which results in the greatest potential benefits to consumers across the transmission options.

Solutionary Rail is a PEOPLE-Powered infrastructural proposal that requires a broad grassroots alliance to make it happen with the public benefit components in tact.  That is why it is ESSENTIAL that people like YOU understand the key aspects and that you invest in this compelling, positive, and doable proposal.