New York's grid faces a growing reliability crisis due to the state's green energy mandate, while demand from fossil fuel plants is forced to offline, according to a new report from the state's grid operators. [emphasis, links added]
As New York moves toward a zero-emission mission in 2040, the state's grid operator warned in a Monday report that if conditions are correct, reliable fossil fuel generation forces reliable fossil fuels to produce premature births.
NYISO said the state should consider increasing the generation of fossil fuel generation to avoid the dual risks of aging infrastructure and rising demand, warning that green energy has not yet provided the reliability needed to consistently meet the state's power needs.
“The strong reliability margin allows the grid to meet peak demand and respond to sudden interference and avoid power outages,” NYISO President and CEO Rich Dewey wrote in the report's opening letter.
“With these margins narrowing, consumers face greater risk of disruption if they drive out the required reliability resources out of service through policy mandates or failures associated with aging equipment.”
One of the most urgent threats identified in the report is the growing risk of power outages in winter.
Although electricity demand in New York has historically peaked in New York, NYISO expects winter will be the most energy-consuming season by the 2040s, thanks to state and municipal laws.
“If fuel is not available during peak winter demand, then statewide defects may occur in winter 2029-2030 under normal weather conditions. Insufficients may occur a few years ago considering higher demand growth or extreme winter weather conditions,” the NYISO report noted.
New York sees this risk in the 2022 winter stormthis proves how Fuel restrictions and harsh weather may pose a greater threat to the reliability of the move forwardaccording to NYISO.
According to a report by NYISO, some of this strain originated from New York’s “peak rules” in 2019, which requires the state’s oldest power plants to reduce emissions or close them.
Many of these peak plants once provided critical backups during extreme demand, and their losses reduced the flexibility of the grid.
According to JP Morgan's analysis, the state also closed the Indian Point nuclear power plant under pressure from environmental groups, but natural gas and out-of-state imports instead of wind or solar energy, which fills the gap.
The decision helped increase the intensity of electricity emissions in New York City and Long Island.
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