At the Future Energy Economy Summit held recently in Syracuse, Governor Kathy Hochul called for advanced clean energy technologies to play a key role in supporting renewable energy and economic development. The summit outlined next steps needed to plan for growing energy demand that can support the state’s commitment to accelerate progress toward a zero-emission electricity system.
“New York is building a clean energy economy that fosters growth, ingenuity and taps into technologies that will reduce our carbon footprint,” Governor Hochul said. “From creating the most successful offshore wind industry in the country to our investments in a sustainable electric grid, we are committed to being a national leader in protecting our climate – and we won’t stop until we’ve created the best possible future for our children.”
Three takeaways from the summit include the need to prioritize continued focus on building New York’s renewable energy grid to realize the health, environmental and economic benefits resources like wind and solar provide; to bring new attention to technology research, market development and commercial demonstration of new and existing dispatchable emissions-free resources to support a reliable, resilient and affordable renewable grid for the state’s expanding economy; and to identify, leverage and maximize the potential federal funding opportunities, offered by the administration, and policy development proposals to further support economy growth strategies.
Using insights gained during the summit, the state will engage the industry to undertake the following next steps:
Complete the ongoing Public Service Commission review of the state’s overarching large-scale renewable energy program, known as the Clean Energy Standard (CES) by early 2025 and advance key actions to accelerate and expand New York’s large-scale renewable energy industry, focusing on deployment goals, interconnection reforms and the timely implementation of the RAPID Act for expedited environmental reviews and permitting of major renewable energy and electric transmission facilities;
Maximize leverage of federal programs by applying for relevant funding opportunities for economic development and next generation emissions-free energy technology planning and deployment;
Advance Public Service Commission action on the pending ‘Zero Emissions by 2040’ proceeding that is investigating technologies that support the 2040 zero-emissions electricity system target established through New York’s Climate Act;
Solicit industry feedback on the draft Advanced Nuclear Technologies Blueprint, and finalize the draft blueprint by the end of this year; and
Ensure that the next State Energy Plan, developed by the New York State Energy Planning Board recently convened by Governor Hochul, appropriately considers the role advanced emissions-free technologies can play in the state’s move to a deeply renewable electric grid and capitalization of programs that will expand the state’s economy.
The governor appointed New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Board Chair Richard Kauffman to serve as chair of the summit with contributions from leadership and staff from NYSERDA, the Department of Public Service (DPS), Empire State Development (ESD), New York Power Authority (NYPA), Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Department of Health (DOH), Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) and Department of Labor (DOL).
NYSERDA Board Chair Richard Kauffman said, “I am thankful to the industry leaders and experts who shared their insights at the summit in support of the state’s commitment to a clean energy transition that will bring the growth of jobs, business and industry to the state. As we consider this input and move forward guided by these key steps, we remain committed to be an example for other states in accelerating advancement of the resources needed to achieve a zero-emission grid.”
NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, “The timely convening of this group of experts with diverse backgrounds and experience provided an opportunity to discuss and explore promising next generation technologies that can support New York’s ever-growing clean energy economy. These next steps align with investments and priorities we are seeing at the federal level which makes these next steps and strategies critical to successfully leveraging future funding opportunities to continue our progress.”
NYSERDA and DPS-commissioned technology and economic studies are informing and complementing the state’s considerations for future generation energy development to analyze the diverse generation technologies that could play roles in a decarbonized economy. These technology options range from long-duration energy storage technologies to grid-forming inverters and small modular nuclear reactors.
The state has taken a number of actions to strengthen energy resiliency, reliability, and affordability to put New York on a path to reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Some of these recent actions include approval of energy storage programs to achieve six gigawatts (GW) of energy storage by 2030, launch of a statewide Solar for All program, launch of a Grid of the Future proceeding focused on targeted development of flexible resources to enhance grid resiliency, and continued development of renewable energy technologies, including the recent completion of the South Fork Wind offshore wind farm the start of construction for Empire Wind 1 and the start of construction of Sunrise Wind.
New York State’s climate agenda calls for an orderly transition that creates family-sustaining jobs, continues to foster a green economy across all sectors and ensures that at least 35 percent, with a goal of 40 percent, of the benefits of clean energy investments are directed to disadvantaged communities. Guided by some of the nation’s most aggressive climate and clean energy initiatives, New York is advancing a suite of efforts – including the New York Cap-and-Invest program (NYCI) and other complementary policies – to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and 85 percent by 2050 from 1990 levels. New York is also on a path to achieving a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and economy wide carbon neutrality by mid-century. A cornerstone of this transition is New York’s unprecedented clean energy investments, including more than $28 billion in 61 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the State, $6.8 billion to reduce building emissions, $3.3 billion to scale up solar, nearly $3 billion for clean transportation initiatives and over $2 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. These and other investments are supporting more than 170,000 jobs in New York’s clean energy sector as of 2022 and over 3,000 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality, New York also adopted zero-emission vehicle regulations, including requiring all new passenger cars and light-duty trucks sold in the state be zero emission by 2035. Partnerships are continuing to advance New York’s climate action with more than 400 registered and more than 130 certified Climate Smart Communities, nearly 500 Clean Energy Communities, and the State’s largest community air monitoring initiative in 10 disadvantaged communities across the state to help target air pollution and combat climate change.