New York State has released a review of its progress since adopting the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) in 2019, which aims to greatly reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. The report found that the state will need to more than triple its current renewable energy capacity, adding 20 gigawatts of power over an eight-year period, to reach the outlined goals.
The CLCPA aims to generate 70% of the electricity used in the state by 2030 from renewable sources, upscale distributed solar and wind energy, and reduce energy consumption by 54,220-gigawatt hours by 2035. These combined efforts lead to the ultimate goal of completely eliminating greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.
Efforts toward these targets have rendered the state 6th in the nation in renewable energy generation. Yet, the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) predicts that the state’s energy consumption will require at least a 200% increase in production from renewable energy generators to meet targets.
“New York State has rightly pursued an aggressive campaign to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit the most dangerous impacts of climate change,” said New York’s State Comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli. “New York’s energy goals are attainable, but require careful attention and management to address challenges, meet ambitious deadlines, and avoid future pitfalls.”
The report explains how increased renewable energy in the state has been set back by inconsistent funding, canceled projects, and various delays that lengthened project timelines. Especially in the early years of these projects, spotty incentive provisions resulted in slow progress, and the NYISO interconnection process has been identified as one of the longest in the country.
Some of these challenges are starting to be addressed. The NYISO has begun streamlining its process, and expediting the permitting process has also helped with lengthy project timelines. Recently, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul added significant investments to renewable energy in the state’s 2024 budget. As New York’s utility consumers bear the brunt of renewable energy incentives and transmission projects, the new legislation prioritizes energy affordability by providing financial relief to consumers.
As of 2022, about 29% of the state’s electricity was generated from renewable sources. In order to reach a complete shift to zero emissions, the state needs to aggressively speed up renewable energy development, support new dispatchable generation technologies, and hold down costs for the state’s consumers.
