New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Monday that he will
push for New York to transition to 100 percent clean electricity by 2040, in a
statement outlining his agenda for early 2019.
The announcement places New York in a small but growing
group of states, including neighboring New Jersey, as well as California,
Hawaii and most recently Washington, that have announced goals or legally committed
to 100 percent clean energy.
Cuomo’s target comes after the state Public Service
Commission approved an ambitious target of 3 gigawatts of energy storage by
2030 and the third stage of the state’s Clean Energy Standard, which aims for
50 percent renewables in the electricity mix by 2030. That standard gives New
York a decade to close the gap between 50 percent renewables and 100 percent
carbon-free with “clean” sources.
Last year, nearly one-third of New York’s in-state
generation came from renewable sources, according to
the Energy Information Administration, while one-third of electricity came from
nuclear plants. Natural gas currently leads the state’s electricity generation,
with about 35 percent of the mix in 2015, according to data from the New York State Energy Research and
Development Authority. New York ranks tenth in solar installations.
The announcement from Cuomo — which is currently a goal, not
a legal target — is “politically easy” because it pushes consequences out past
2030, said Wade Schauer, research director at Wood Mackenzie Power &
Renewables.
Though Cuomo’s agenda said the target will make New York “the most
progressive state in the nation in moving to renewables,” Schauer said the New
York target is "vastly less aggressive" than California’s suite of
policies, which include a legally binding target of 60 percent renewable by
2030 and 100 percent carbon-free by 2045 target.
California does not include existing large hydro plants in
its renewables count; New York includes large hydroelectric power in its
baseline, although new impoundments do not count toward the 50 percent goal.
Other imported renewables put in operation after January 1, 2015 are also
eligible.
“In California, only Tier 1 renewables count towards the
2030 target,” said Schauer in an email. “Add in SB 1090 [requiring California to replace the Diablo
Canyon nuclear facility with carbon free sources] and large hydro, and
California has to be almost 85 percent carbon-free by 2030, assuming they can
hit that.”
WoodMac assumes New York will build a few gas-fired plants
in the next five to 10 years, and Schauer said this target means they’ll have
only about two decades to recoup investment. If the governor gets his way with
a target, those projects could be shelved altogether.
Accommodating natural-gas independent power producers has
been and will continue to be a big challenge in New York, said Jigar Shah,
co-founder and president at Generate Capital.
The picture is more positive for energy storage, which will
need to play a greater role on a 100 percent clean grid. Schauer said the
announcement also bodes well for the state’s nuclear plants, which would likely
count toward the carbon-free target.
Cuomo framed the target as a “Green New Deal” and part of a
“declaration of independence from Washington.” But the idea of a Green New Deal
looks to be gaining ground in Washington as well, with support
from incoming members of Congress like New York’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Survey results released this week suggest 81 percent of registered
voter respondents “strongly” or “somewhat” support the plan, which includes 100
percent renewable energy by 2030. One caveat: Most respondents also hadn’t
heard of the Green New Deal.
Back In New York, environmental groups such as NY Renews, a
coalition of more than 150 organizations pushing for climate action, called for
the governor to go further.
“Electricity generation represents approximately 20 percent
of our state’s emissions profile and New York needs more comprehensive action
to face up to the urgency of the climate crisis,” read a statement from the
group.
Environmental group 350.org joined NY Renews in calling for
the governor to push forward the Climate and Communities Protection Act, which
has passed the state’s assembly three times and includes a 100 percent by 2050
renewables goal.
Betámia Coronel, a national organizer with 350.org, said she
welcomes Cuomo’s support for climate action, but she also cautioned against
“empty rhetoric and lip service.” Coronel said concrete action to stop fossil
fuel projects will indicate the governor’s seriousness about the goal.
The Solar Energy Industries Association trade group lauded
the governor’s “historic” move and noted several ways New York can get closer
to the goal.
“Specific examples include doubling down on solar and
committing to obtaining 6 gigawatts of solar by 2023, establishing strong
policies in the ongoing Value of Distributed Energy Resources case and bringing
more large-scale solar to New York," said Sean Gallagher, SEIA’s vice
president of state affairs, in a statement. “This plan can bring massive
economic and environmental benefits to communities throughout the state,
spurring many new, well-paying jobs and cleaner air.”
No comments:
Post a Comment