The transmission system must modernize and expand to meet the demands of the 21st Century. Indeed, the growth of artificial intelligence, data centers, and electric vehicles — powered by green energy — means the country must at least double regional transmission capacity.

The electric grid may be the greatest invention ever, delivering power to the masses and fueling the global economy. Artificial intelligence and other technologies will take it to a new level by increasing reliability, reducing emissions, and cutting costs.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is best known as home to the LSU Tigers, but energy experts will soon recognize it for its low-carbon hydrogen production, which will start two years from now. It will use biomass as a feedstock and produce 10 to 15 tons of carbon-negative hydrogen daily by 2029.

Nevada-based NV Energy is deploying solar-plus-storage to generate half its electricity with renewables by 2030 and all of it by 2050. It will buy the output from three projects, generating 1,200 megawatts of solar energy and using 590 MW in energy storage to get there. The utility will store excess solar power during the day and deliver that electricity to customers at night.

The 1972 hit song “It Doesn’t Rain in Southern California” is obsolete — buried by rainfalls this week totaling more than 12 inches. That triggered flooding and hundreds of mudslides, causing at least 300,000 people to lose power.

The United States economy is sprinting, adding 353,000 jobs in January — a 3.7% unemployment rate. The CHIPSHIPS +0.8% Act, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act are spurring investment nationwide, leading to new green enterprises. Can the transmission and distribution network handle the increased traffic?

Once upon a time, I took my family on a Caribbean cruise that docked on the island of Dominica — 290 square miles of rugged mountainous terrain. We circled down and through its rainforest until reaching a splendid waterfall. It’s the only excursion I can recall from that summer trip nearly two decades ago.

With the dead of winter approaching, it is appropriate to reflect on last year’s Winter Storm Elliott, which occurred over Christmas and caused millions of people to lose power across the eastern United States. It followed Winter Storm Uri, which happened in Texas a year earlier.

The Republic of Paraguay is a global leader in food security, sitting above Argentina, west of Brazil, and south of Bolivia. With less than 0.1% of global CO2 emissions, the South American nation is also one of the world’s largest natural carbon sinks.

Gabon’s political landscape has been tumultuous, but its environmental policies will remain unchanged — if not more aggressive. In August, the military led a relatively nonviolent coup d’etat, deposing its president, whose family held power over the African nation for 56 years.