Data center growth and the electrification of buildings and transportation is driving demand for electricity higher, but it takes too long to bring new power online. The wait for projects to connect to the grid can take years, and building new transmission lines is an endeavor that can last a decade or more. But there’s an overlooked, ready-to-go solution to quickly add new cheap wind and solar projects to the grid– surplus interconnection. There are hundreds of power plants across the U.S. that are connected to the grid but that sit idle most of the time, only running when electricity demand reaches its very highest levels, otherwise known as peaker plants. Likewise, there are many coal plants currently hooked up to the grid but scheduled to retire soon. Adding wind, solar, and energy storage projects to peaker grid connection points or at retiring coal connections allows renewable energy projects to connect to the grid faster, giving us more low-cost electricity that’s needed right now, not years down the road.