New York’s energy system is at an inflection point. Energy use is rising — but due to climate change so are temperatures and the frequency of storms. Unfortunately, generators have been slow to meet that increasing demand with the clean energy we need to combat climate change, and now some are questioning the reliability of the power system. But I am here to tell you that New York City doesn’t need to sacrifice reliability to address climate change. We can have both.
As we approach the official start of summer on Thursday and an impending and dangerous heat wave this week, let’s make one thing clear: New York has enough power to get through the summer of 2024. That’s the finding from the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), which manages New York’s power system to ensure we have enough on the hottest and coldest days of the year.
Last month, NYISO released a report showing that for the summer of 2024, New York has nearly 20% more generating capacity (40,733 MW) than the highest one-day peak demand the state has ever seen (33,956 MW, which occurred in 2013).
But the NYISO report also found that in the coming decade, the buffer between New York’s peak energy use and ability to generate power is going to tighten — threatening reliability. That trend is a concern for those of us responsible for keeping the lights on and the air conditioners running, and a clarion call to move faster on building more sources of energy that are renewable and a system that is more reliable.
Con Edison is currently investing more than $2 billion on infrastructure projects to ensure the grid can meet the increased demand for power as buildings and vehicles move away from fossil fuels and become electrified. These investments supply value for every customer by ensuring reliability as we all face more extreme weather such as heat waves and more hurricanes resulting from climate change.
Con Edison is enhancing its electric delivery system to deliver more clean energy from solar arrays, wind turbines, hydro and other renewable resources to support New York State’s climate goals. The company is investing in energy efficiency programs, new substations, transmission lines to carry renewable energy, incentives for electric vehicle chargers, and other measures to usher in a clean energy future.
The good news is that the NYISO report also found that the state is moving in the right direction, even if it’s slower than we want. In the last year, New York has added 452 MW of clean energy resources to the grid. We need that number to be in the 1000’s moving forward, but it’s a good start.
Opponents of New York’s clean energy plans would argue that we need to go back and embrace burning fossil fuels to ensure reliability. It’s a head scratching conclusion. As the NYISO noted, the generation buffer is sufficient at the moment, and the state is bringing more clean generation on-line, including more hydro power from Canada in 2026. Con Edison’s first responsibility to our customers is to ensure they have the power they need when they need it, and we take that responsibility seriously.
But we also know that the best long-term option for the state is to address climate change directly through smart investments that mitigate future climate change, while adapting to current reality.
New York needs to build more clean energy resources to allow the retirement of high polluting peaker plants. And we need to invest in research and development to spur new technologies that will help deliver electricity 24/7.
We need to accelerate the clean energy investments in the grid to ensure an orderly transition away from fossil fired generation.
There are legitimate reliability challenges that we are facing as we see fossil fuel generation come offline and demand for electricity grow. We need to do more and more to address these concerns, and we can’t retire current resources until new resources are available.
Policy makers, utilities, and stakeholders must work together to find solutions to address these challenges.
Taking action to make our energy systems — and our communities — both clean and reliable in the face of this change. Adding (fossil) fuel to the fire of climate change does the opposite.
Ketschke is the president of Con Edison Company of New York.