I think that we should use a variety of sources, rather than be dependant upon a few. There are magnificent wind farms in Wyoming and California. Solar could certainly be an option here (and more than a few houses take advantage of it). Coal, with scrubbers, is another source. So, if there is no other choice, is nuclear (EBR-1 is just a few miles from where I sit).

As for the grid itself, I heard just a few minutes ago a proposal that we spent USD100 billion to move it from electromechnical to electronic. Actually, it's long been my opinion that the United States (and Canada) can do whatever the US and Canada set their minds to do. You want fusion reactors? FTL travel? Clean energy? Get Canada and the US working on it, really working on it, and see what happens. But then, maybe I'm an optimist.