Gov. outlines next steps for growing energy demand

SYRACUSE | At the Future Energy Economy Summit held in Syracuse, Gov. 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," Gov. 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 Biden-Harris 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, found here, and finalize the draft blueprint by the end of this year 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 Summit, attended by over 600 people both in-person and virtually, was convened at Gov. Hochul's direction to explore strategies to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy and study the role of next generation emissions-free technologies that are needed to support economic growth and achieve the Climate Act target for a deeply decarbonized energy grid. 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). This work builds on the US Department of Energy "Liftoff" reports, which detail the needs and paths necessary to bring the suite of emission-free energy technologies to commercialization. The Summit also tracks with the recent White House Summit on Domestic Nuclear Deployment held in May that highlighted progress being made across the public and private sectors on how to maintain the use of existing nuclear facilities, deploy new nuclear technologies, streamline the process for responsibly siting new reactors, and build robust supply chains and workforce. In addition, NYSERDA and DPS-commissioned technology and economic studies are informing and complementing the s.e'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. Under Gov. Hochul's leadership, 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 6 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.

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Gov. outlines next steps for growing energy demand

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