As artificial intelligence grows in popularity, new data centers must accommodate the systems’ enormous need for energy. At the same time, household energy usage is rising throughout the United States. These increasing demands for electricity are stressing our nation’s aging electric grid.

In this episode of “After the Fact,” we travel to Houston—the epicenter of the U.S. power industry—to talk with experts, journalists, and electricity providers about why investments in modernizing the grid are necessary for preventing higher energy bills for consumers, or worse, blackouts that leave communities in the dark. We also explore how innovative solutions such as tapping into battery storage and “microgrids” could connect nearly 2,600 gigawatts of alternative energy capacity to the grid, which would double the nation’s available power supply.