In our clean energy transition, we still need reliable power

New York’s energy demand is increasing rapidly. Eventually, it will outpace the state’s available power. While there is a sincere effort by the state and private partners like National Grid Ventures to bring enough renewable power online to close this gap, the task requires a monumental shift in the way New York produces power. Already, a recent state report acknowledged New York will miss the target of 70% renewable electricity by 2030. Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration is now signaling the goalpost should be moved back to 2033.

In striving to meet Albany's deadlines, we owe it to every Long Islander to be prepared if we don’t have enough renewable generation, battery storage or transmission to keep lights on and houses cool. National Grid Ventures' existing power plants have served Long Island residents for more than 50 years, and produce more than 50% of the Long Island Power Authority's total energy on the highest-demand days. Before we retire these facilities, we must ensure there’s enough power supply.

A few months ago, LIPA unveiled its road map to transition Long Island off fossil fuels. This report says that by 2030, nearly half of Long Island's power supply will come from offshore wind, and an additional 19% from zero-carbon solar and nuclear. LIPA plans to reduce fossil fuel use to 14%, largely by retiring existing power plants. If the state delays its goals, LIPA will need to follow suit.

National Grid Ventures supports this clean energy transition. But since the State Legislature passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act in 2019, New York has added just one 130-megawatt offshore wind project, 2.9 gigawatts of distributed solar, and 300 megawatts of battery storage. LIPA forecasts that by the early 2030s, there will be 2.3 GW of offshore wind, 1.4 GW of solar, and 750 MW of battery energy storage on the Long Island electric grid — enough to power millions of New York homes.

Unfortunately, almost all of this green energy infrastructure still needs to be built. And that still won't be enough to meet 100% of forecast demand. Reaching that 70% target means more than doubling the state's renewable generation over the next six years.

Despite the challenges, there is a path to get that done.

First, we must boost funding for tax incentives, subsidies, and clean energy research so developers can invest in new technologies, like integrating renewable energy into existing generation sites.

Second, we need more successful — and faster — contracting and construction of offshore wind, transmission infrastructure, and battery energy storage projects.

Finally, we need to make sure renewable energy can meet reliability needs before we retire existing facilities, to keep lights on when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining. A safety net is necessary. It’s far more beneficial to keep fossil units available for days of exceptionally high energy usage and severe weather.

National Grid Ventures' offshore wind, solar and battery storage capacity continues to grow, and we’re working on transmission upgrades while simultaneously reducing emissions from our Long Island generation fleet. All the while, the state and LIPA are adding more renewables to the energy mix. But collectively, we have a lot more ground to cover — and quickly, so policymakers don’t have to move the goalposts again.

Though we have enough reliable energy to keep our homes cool, we must remain ever-conscious of threats to the grid’s reliability and obstacles impacting progress. In the meantime, National Grid Ventures' facilities are here to support Long Island’s electric reliability needs.

This guest essay reflects the views of Will Hazelip, president of National Grid Ventures, US Northeast.