Why The Power Grid Must Be A Strategic Priority For Businesses

Forbes

3 days ago

Shaun Walsh, CMO at Peak Nano, is a marketing leader with expertise in grid-enhancing technologies, fusion, nuclear, cybersecurity and AI.
When we consider national security risks, cybersecurity, AI, pandemics and military threats dominate the conversation. Yet America's power grid is arguably our biggest vulnerability—a 'silent risk' often invisible to business leaders, policymakers and the public.
Every aspect of our economy is based around a functional grid, but we aren't in the driver's seat. Take the recent U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods; in response, Ontario announced a 25% surcharge on electricity exports to several U.S. states, though this plan was suspended. This incident, while disruptive, pales in comparison to the risk of relying on other countries to source and replace grid components.
We have the technology to eliminate this risk, but struggle to communicate its severity. Leaders must make the invisible visible—showing how the grid underpins every aspect of our economy so we can work toward establishing resilience.
Challenges Facing The Grid
Reliance on foreign suppliers has left our grid dangerously exposed. The Department of Energy has warned that America lacks the supply chain for true energy independence. Decades of offshoring have hollowed out domestic manufacturing, limiting our capacity to ramp up production during demand spikes and crises.
With rising geopolitical tensions and market volatility, China's ability, in particular, to disrupt America's supply of grid materials grows. Imported technologies could also give hostile actors remote access to our critical infrastructure, threatening national security. If our supply of grid materials is cut off, utilities will lose their ability to maintain and expand our grid.
During demand spikes and relentless heatwaves, like the ones breaking records this summer, major grid components like power capacitors, which are essential for grid stability, can't cool down. This triggers chain reactions that can lead to brownouts and dangerous blackouts. As AI data centers force technology companies to become power companies themselves, and industries are expected to begin reshoring manufacturing, our fragile grid can't keep pace.
To solve these challenges, businesses and policymakers must incentivize strategic shifts. And to be successful, we need to change the way we talk about our grid.
The Power Paradox
The push to reshore manufacturing is gaining momentum but faces a fundamental obstacle: power itself.
For example, my company, Peak Nano, is expanding U.S. production of advanced capacitor films—essential components of our power grid. As we do so, our biggest barrier isn't capital, workforce or land. It's access to sufficient, reliable electricity. The grid is stretched thin, and new industrial projects face long waits for connections.
This is a nationwide bottleneck impacting everything from semiconductor fabs to battery plants and data centers.
We can't reshore critical industries without guaranteeing them power. If we don't invest in grid modernization, the promise of an American manufacturing revival will be stalled—not by lack of ambition or innovation, but by the simple inability to plug in and power up.
Making The Case For U.S. Innovation
Companies producing grid-enhancing technologies (GETs)—including my company—like solid-state transformers, high-frequency switching and advanced capacitor film often struggle to communicate the value of these technologies to utilities, which face limited capital for scaling and upgrading and regulatory challenges for new substations and power lines.
For example, the U.S. currently relies completely on imported capacitor film that needs frequent replacement. Domestically made GETs that improve performance and protect our energy security should be a no-brainer, but the grid's complexity and constant operation often make its risks easy to overlook—until it fails. Most assume electricity will always be available and underestimate the serious consequences of outages.
Public attention is often focused on more immediate threats, like cyberattacks or conflicts, which have clearer stories. Explaining supply chain vulnerabilities requires simplifying technical details and turning an invisible problem into relatable stories. It's no simple task.
Every added degree of heat stress affects hospitals, homes and businesses—the infrastructure we depend on. As climate extremes become the new normal and other demand pressures rise, modernizing grid components with U.S.-made technology is essential.
We need boards, customers and partners to advocate for and invest in upgrading the grid. Communications teams must clearly connect grid weaknesses to business impacts like lost revenue, public safety, reputational damage and national competitiveness.
With a steady drumbeat of crises, cutting through requires fresh angles, clear analogies and tangible stories. Striking the right tone is hard, but essential. We need to convey urgency without fearmongering, which leaves audiences feeling apathetic.
Ten Years To Grid Independence
Achieving true grid independence won't happen overnight. But with focused investment and a strategic approach to infrastructure, we can secure our grid within a decade. Secretary Wright and the Department of Energy have called for a comprehensive strategy to scale, stabilize and secure the grid. Here's how business leaders can help:
• Audit and diversify your supply chain. Map suppliers for critical components. Identify adversarial country dependencies and invest in domestic alternatives.
• Treat power as a strategic asset. When planning expansions, engage with utilities early and advocate for local grid upgrades and on-site energy solutions. Factor power access into site selection and risk planning.
• Invest in talent and training. Partner with schools and STEM programs, offering apprenticeships and upskilling to engineers and tradespeople to operate, maintain and repair our grid.
• Modernize and future-proof operations. Upgrade to advanced, energy-efficient equipment like capacitor films that can handle higher loads and extreme conditions.
Making Power A Strategic Communications Priority
America's grid is the backbone of our economy and national security. The threats it faces, from supply chain vulnerabilities to aging infrastructure and escalating demand, are urgent and undeniable. But they present a clear call to action and communications opportunity.
Communications leaders have a vital role to play in elevating U.S. energy independence as a strategic priority. By educating stakeholders on reshoring our supply chains, advocating for domestic infrastructure and building strong partnerships with policymakers and industry peers, they can accelerate progress.
With effective communication, we can mobilize business and government leaders to treat power as a critical economic asset—protecting our technological and industrial leadership and securing the nation's future.
Forbes Communications Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?