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In 2019, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which committed New York state to one of the most ambitious environmental goals in the world: an 85% reduction in emissions from 1990 levels by 2050. The law established interim goals of reducing emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030, while mandating that 100% of the electricity generated in the state come from clean energy sources by 2040.
Along with making a complete transition to renewable energy in the power sector, meeting the state’s benchmarks will likely require buildings that rely on gas for heating and hot water to be retrofitted as well as major upgrades to the electrical grid. Alone, any of these measures to decarbonize the built environment would be difficult, but to synchronize them all on an expedited timeline will require a collaborative – and monumental – effort.
The Indian Point nuclear plant was shut down on April 30. (File photo by B. Cronin)
It was supposed to usher in a golden age for nuclear power in New York, and initially had little opposition. But eventually a network of environmental groups as well as everyday citizens who were wary of nuclear power in the wake of Three Mile Island, and then Chernobyl, turned against it. The public questioned the wisdom of building a nuclear power plant so close to New York City. Activists led protests, serenaded by folk singer Pete Seeger, a resident of Beacon. The evacuation plan the plant created was deemed to be unrealistic, and state officials refused to certify it. Finally, after many tumultuous years, Gov. Cuomo announced the decommissioning of the plant.
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The New York Independent System Operator peakload averaged 16.399 GW, up 3% year on year, according to ISO data. ISO population-weighted average temperatures climbed 7.8% year on year into the low 50s F, which pulled down heating-degree days 21.4%, according to CustomWeather data.
Spot prices
NYISO Zone J NYC on-peak day-ahead locational marginal prices averaged $26.31/MWh in April, a jump of 60.4% year on year, while on-peak real-time averaged $27.26/MWh, 72.7% higher than a year ago, according to ISO data.
Helping drive up power prices, spot gas at Transco Zone 6 spot climbed 41% year on year to average $2.127/MMBtu in April, according to S&P Global Platts pricing data.
Dive Brief:
Emissions are down and electricity prices have hit historic lows in the New York Independent System Operator s (NYISO) markets, CEO Richard Dewey told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday. However, achieving the state s long-term emissions goals will require the use of new technology, he said.
COVID-19 had a dramatic downward impact on energy demand Dewey said, but the state has recovered faster than expected, and electricity consumption already exceeds the ISO s forecasts for 2021.
Multiple transmission projects, some already under construction, will improve New York s ability to move wind and solar energy from the northwest of the state to population centers in the southeast, Dewey said. But wind and solar alone cannot satisfy the state s projected demand long-term, he said.
The new ERCOT CEO wants to rebuild your trust in the Texas electricity grid
Brad Jones expects to present a 100-day plan within a month.
Blue skies and sunshine are seen behind Oncor electric transmission lines as North Texas begins to thaw from winter storms that brought snow and freezing temperatures on Feb. 19, 2021, in Dallas. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)
1:45 PM on May 4, 2021 CDT
This op-ed is part of a series published by The Dallas Morning News Opinion section to explore ideas and policies for strengthening electric reliability. Find the full series here: