Nearly everything these days takes power to work, keeping food in the refrigerator or freezer, watching television, running the air conditioner, and even keeping your laptop or cell phone charged. With the recent boom in electric vehicle manufacturing and artificial intelligence continuing to gain traction, these companies are creating large demands for power from the grid. Knox County Area Partnership President Ken Springer recently attended the Illinois Economic Development Conference where they stated power demand is rapidly outstripping power supply in the United States:
Downstate Illinois is on the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) power grid, while Chicago is serviced by the PJM Interconnection power grid.
