Utilities need the state to help with the move from fossils fuels to renewables

To meet New York’s emission reduction goals, renewable energy must be the central pillar of our clean energy system. Between federal investments in infrastructure and new state policies enacted in this year’s budget, New York is taking tremendous strides toward a clean energy future, but we will need more support from our leaders in Albany and Washington to achieve our clean energy goals.

We’re off to a good start. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act devote billions to building clean energy projects and provide financial incentives to help consumers electrify everything from their cars to their furnaces. New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) established nation-leading clean energy goals, and policies to encourage electric vehicles and ban gas hookups in new construction have set us on the path to an electric future.

National Grid has been preparing for a clean energy future built around renewable electricity for years. We’ve connected 42% of New York’s community solar projects; our joint venture Community Offshore Wind has the ability to construct up to 3 gigawatts of offshore wind; and we’ve taken a leadership role in developing battery storage. Last fall, we released a first of its kind report on the charging infrastructure we’ll need to accommodate widespread electric vehicle use statewide, and in February we received a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to expand on that work.

We know what it takes to transition a home, a business, and even a region from fossil fuels to renewable electricity. From permitting to construction to transmission, we’re involved in every step of the process, and know what we need from our leaders to make this transition happen smoothly.

Our top priority must be modernizing and expanding our electric system. According to the DOE, we need to expand the grid 57% by 2035 to prepare for increased electricity demand, and the Climate Action Council’s Scoping Plan estimates that demand for electricity in New York will more than double by 2050.

The New York Independent System Operator projects this sharp increase in demand will put New York at risk of outages — especially during extreme weather — within the next 10 years. The risk is even greater in New York City, which could face energy shortages as early as 2025.

We must reform our planning processes to build the infrastructure needed to support widespread use of renewable electricity and ensure reliability. Cumbersome regulatory processes slow — and sometimes prevent — clean energy projects. We need reforms that facilitate timely siting and permitting. Passing A5052/S4830, a proposal to conduct an in-depth study of the highway infrastructure that will be needed to accommodate increased use of electric vehicles for personal and commercial transportation, is an important first step our leaders could take before the session ends.

We also need to better interconnect our upstate and downstate grids. Right now, upstate gets 92% of its energy from renewable sources. Meanwhile, downstate continues to generate 89% of its energy using fossil fuels. Our collaborative Smart Path Connect project with the New York Power Authority is replacing approximately 100 miles of aging wood H-frames with steel poles and upgrading 10 substations to enable the flow of 1,000 additional megawatts of clean, renewable energy downstate. It is a critical step to bring renewable energy generated upstate to the downstate grid, but we need our leaders to work with us to facilitate other transmission upgrades.

Along with policies that make it easier to build new renewable electricity generation and transmission capacity, we also need to reduce the amount of energy we use. Advanced state energy efficiency codes and above-minimum energy conservation codes are necessary to bring down electricity use and cut emissions. To ensure no one is left behind, we should provide public funding for energy efficiency upgrades to residents and businesses in historically disadvantaged communities.

In the same vein, we must increase access to existing cost savings and bill assistance programs. Energy costs are rising for many reasons, from inflation to global conflicts affecting the supply chain. We must raise awareness of existing bill assistance programs and ease access to them. Looking ahead, Albany should partner with utilities to identify additional policy and regulatory actions that will improve affordability and equity.

National Grid and other utilities have been growing transmission capacity to connect renewable electricity generation and maintain reliability, but we cannot rebuild New York’s grid on our own. Albany and Washington must partner with utilities to streamline planning and approval processes, improve energy efficiency, and expand access to bill assistance programs so we can build a clean energy system that truly includes all New Yorkers.

Wynter is president of National Grid New York.