New York State Struggling to Green the Electric Grid

Most co-op and condo boards have absorbed the lesson that they need to switch from fossil fuels to electric-powered building systems if they hope to meet the carbon emission caps under Local Law 97. This process of "electrification" is built on the assumption that the state's electric grid will be powered increasingly by renewable energy sources.

But Gov. Kathy Hochul and the agencies charged with implementing the state's ambitious Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act recently admitted that the state won't meet its initial goal of getting 70% of its electric energy from renewable sources by 2030, Newsday reports. Hochul said it make take an extra three to five years to meet this initial goal, and the state may need to rethink its plan.

(New York City adopted its own Climate Mobilization Act in 2019; Local Law 97 is the act's enforcement arm.)

"We're gonna get to our goals," Hochul said, "but if we miss it by a couple of years — which is probably what'll happen — the goals are still worthy."

The state law sets the additional goal of getting all electricity from emission-free sources by 2040 and reducing statewide carbon emissions by 85% (from 1990 levels) by 2050.

Currently 29% of the state's electricity is generated by renewable sources, primarily wind and solar, with a major transmission line soon to bring hydroelectric power from Canada.

A report released in July by the Department of Public Service and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority cited several causes for the sluggish switch from fossil fuels to renewables, including high global interest rates, inflation, kinks in the supply chain, and a limited pool of skilled workers.

The coming challenge is not only to green the grid, but to grow it. Demand for electricity is expected to increase by 90% by 2042, according to a report from the state's independent grid operator. That rise will be driven largely by the electrification of transportation and housing — including co-op and condo buildings — as well as energy-intensive economic development projects, such as semiconductor manufacturing and the mushrooming artificial-intelligence industry, which both consume vast amounts of electricity.

But there are positive developments. The state is ahead of its goal of 6,000 megawatts of distributed solar by 2025 and 10,000 megawatts by 2030, says Julie Tighe, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters. And earlier this year, the first large-scale offshore wind farm, South Fork Wind, began delivering clean electricity to Long Island and the Rockaways.

"We're certainly not ready to wave the white flag," Tighe says. "We have to keep moving forward and making progress."

For co-op and condo boards, a major leap of faith is going to be required. As they switch their buildings from fossil fuels to electric heating, cooling and ventilating systems — and in some cases, install electric-vehicle charging stations — they can only hope that the electricity powering those systems will increasingly come from renewable sources.