Elon Musk is probably right about one thing on July 31, 2023 at 7:15 pm

It’s become an internet pastime to point out all the things that Elon Musk is wrong about and all the ways he’s wrong about them. A list of them could be an article of its own, but in lieu of that, here’s a link that should suffice.

Instead, this article is about something that Musk is almost certainly right about: the perilous state of the electrical grid.

Over the past year and especially in the past couple months, Musk has been making the rounds at electric utility industry conferences, urging executives to invest more in the energy transition. “I can’t emphasize enough: We need more electricity,” Musk said at one of the events. “However much electricity you think you need, more than that is needed.”

Electric utilities have been anticipating a surge in demand as governments and consumers grow increasingly bullish on electrification. Homes, business and transportation all stand to benefit from more powerful and more efficient batteries, electric motors, heat pumps and more. In California, which is at the forefront of electrification, PG&E is predicting that electricity demand will rise 70% by 2043; Edison International is forecasting 60% growth by 2045.

​ Electric utilities have been anticipating a surge, but Musk says their predictions are far too modest.