Governor Hookle may finally be waking up to the energy nightmare looming over the state.
Unfortunately, she is stumped and doesn't know how to prevent it.
Her energy summit last week was all about confronting an inconvenient truth: All the magic dust in the world isn't going to help New York reach its goal of abandoning fossil fuels.
Above all, the government refuses to acknowledge that state and city climate laws that “mandated” the impossible and imposed requirements to get there were merely ventures into fantasy.
The goal is for New York to get 70% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and achieve zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.
The city plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 and 100 percent by 2050 through new limits on emissions from buildings.
problem?
The plan calls for the closure of fossil fuel power plants but offers no realistic way to replace all of the energy they produce, let alone cover the state's renewable energy sources. Growing Electricity demand.
It also mandates the following changes: Boost Demand for more electricity — for example, by forcing property owners to electrify their buildings (despite the huge costs) and a large-scale switch to electric vehicles.
And the people of New York already The battery is about to run out.
As summer approaches, a report from the New York Independent System Operator, which oversees the state's power grid, warned of “reliability risks.”“
And the state is warning of a “renewable energy shortfall” of 42,000 gigawatt hours. That's the difference between the projected capacity of the 115,000 gigawatt hours per year needed to reach the 70 percent target by 2030, when most of New York's renewable energy output is in the red. now It's hydroelectric and there's zero room for growth.
Experts (and common sense) tell us we can't achieve our goals with wind and solar alone.
flat Democratic State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli slammed the plan for not adequately assessing risks, meeting its goals and properly forecasting costs.
New Yorkers are already feeling the hit, with utility bills rising by as much as 40% in parts of the state since the plan went into effect.
And that final High prices and the risk of power outages are just the beginning of the problems.
As New York's People for Affordable, Reliable Energy points out, “Apartment and condominium owners and boards cannot responsibly electrify their buildings without assurance that there will be enough power, especially during the coldest months of winter,” risking “people freezing to death.”
They fear they will be held legally liable if they electrify a building and leave occupants in the dark (or cold or hot) if the power goes out.
But Haukl remains committed to the plan (though the summit at least hinted that he may reliance more on nuclear energy to achieve his goal).
The prime minister blamed the plight on “the global pandemic, supply chain challenges and increasing energy demand” and said he aims to “take a fresh look” at the issue while “reaffirming our commitment to the clean energy transition”.
Acknowledging the problem is the first step to solving it, but so far the government has remained in denial.
To avoid disaster, Hawkle should lobby to suspend enforcement of the law until all the holes are plugged, which likely won't happen for decades.
