Abstract:

New York has keenly considered clean energy, and in this study, we really take a look at how technical factors and social equity can work alongside each other. With Governor Hochul’s clean energy investment of 4.2 billion dollars, grid reliability and uneven community impact are a few issues that are being faced. Costs of renewable energy are continuously on the rise, limiting penetration in the New York economy which is an example of technical barriers that exist. The analysis underscores the significance of environmental justice frameworks in making policy choices. Other than that, proposed reforms regarding community engagement and energy solutions aim to outline ways of achieving an equal energy future.

In its clean energy transition, New York State is facing quite a pivotal time. The $4.2 billion that Governor Hochul plans on investing in clean energy technologies will help in transforming the energy system in New York State to deal with climate change. However, there are many contradictions that occur, implementation speed and sustainability being some of them. Deploying clean energy technologies quickly is favored by many, as it’s claimed that the climate emergency warrants 100% clean energy forcefully and in a quick manner. Most of them argue on the relaxing costs for renewable sources and developed technologies. At the same time, successive technical assessments have raised legitimate emphases on the reliability of the grid and the optimal levels of renewable penetration possible, indicating that studies have shown that the western power cooperation in New York has been mostly in the range of 34-48% renewable generation. Khosravani et al. in the year 2023 suggest this might be a possibility because of the present conditions and the potential for seasonal storage limitations to combined renewables. On the other hand, environmental justice advocates call attention to the fact that the current strategies do not take into account the voices of community members most of the time and tend to focus the adverse effects on already disadvantaged communities and localities. There is a dilemma here: the need for speed and the social equity principles. Different imperatives require rethinking of New York clean energy strategy implementation.

In order to best maximize the effectiveness and the fairness of this historic investment, New York must completely change its approach towards the implementation of clean energy so that it cuts across the technical, social equity, and economic dimensions through changes in the grid planning requirements, revised targets for renewable energy, and greater processes of participation that guarantee reliable power and equitable benefits to all communities in the New York State.

Technical Imperatives for Grid Reliability

More recent technical analyses indicate that there are serious implementation hurdles that complicate New York’s clean energy transition. Detailed modeling for western New York indicates that the optimum renewable energy mix of 34–48% is required for the reliable and cost effective operation of the grid, while the costs tend to increase exponentially as the EO anticipates 100% renewable penetration (Khosravani et al., 2023). To illustrate this challenge:

This cost curve shows how moving beyond the ideal renewable levels will lead to significant increases in these costs :

34-48%: $0.1183 per kWh

80-90%: $0.1497 per kWh

95-100%: $0.1733 per kWh

Seasonal storage requirements as well as grid stability requirements account for these increased costs. According to Denholm et al. (2021), seasonal energy storage needs are “non-economic complications (that) become worse in a non-linear fashion as systems progress toward full penetration of renewable energy.” This technical situation must be taken into consideration in deployment planning.

Despite these technical and cost challenges demonstrated by the data, proponents of rapid 100% renewable development argue that financial investments can resolve technical issues and procrastination threatens climate targets. They use decreasing technology costs and smooth renewable blending in other areas to claim that New York should remain aggressive.

On the contrary, looking at actual performance metrics at the grid suggests that hastening the pace towards a very high level of renewable grid penetration creates reliability issues and pushes costs to levels that are likely to fail the support of the public. For example, successful offshore wind development shows that reasonable costs are only achieved when such parameters are optimized:

Distance from the coasts: The best range is 32-73 km.

Turbine size: Most cost effective 5-8 MW

Project scale: Most optimal 508 MW capacity

(Liang et al., 2021)

Dimensions of social equity

Apart from technical limitations, existing strategies of implementation more often than not overlook environmental justice considerations. It has been established that communities have a difficult time being part of the sitting disputes’ decision making process, as their concerns are often regarded as technical rather than justice related (Bailey & Darkal, 2018). To put it in this perspective:

The data leaves no doubt that there are significant contrasting aspects in the way proponents and opponents of renewable energy projects present their arguments. Proponents seem to be more focused on clean energy impacts which come in at 28.0 percent and are largely national or international in scope, while vehement opponents of the cause focus on local impacts with landscape and visual impacts being the most important issue at 28.2 percent. This disparity in scale and impact is further highlighted by objectors’ emphasis on local health and noise issues at 13.3 percent and cumulative impacts at 10.3 percent, relative to supporters who focus on climate change at 6.4 percent and energy security at the same 6.4 percent.

This pattern of misalignment between local and broader concerns creates a procedural barrier that does not enhance the likelihood of effective engagement by the public in matters of policies that affect areas around social and environmental settings.

Distributed Energy Solutions In the case of New York, there are lessons that emerge pertaining to both the social and technical aspects of the operation of distributed energy programs. The shared solar plan of the state bears testimony as to how the relevant regulations have been able to broaden the reach of clean energy without compromising grid reliability. Some of the key aspects are:

Deemed favorable net metering policies

Elimination of the monopoly of utilities on ownership

Requirements of community benefits

(Hess & Lee, 2020) 

This model has a number of benefits:

• Concentration of solar generation close to loads due to distributed generation lowers line losses, thereby enhancing grid stability
• Involvement of the local populace in the decision making processes during project implementation
• Enhanced sense of ownership in local communities
• Promotion of local economic benefits through competition among suppliers
• Reduced transmission infrastructure needs and improved system resilience

Furthermore, the enhanced stability of the system due to the new arrangement implies a decreased need for extensive transmission lines and hard infrastructure. Cost savings in the order of billions of dollars shall be realized as the demand side management mechanisms become sufficiently dependable. Against this background, several key reforms are needed: 

• Grid Planning Reform Determine optimal renewable targets on the basis of technical assessments performed. 
• Form energy storage systems and transmission structures that would be economical in nature. Create reliability metrics that would be in line with scenarios involving large shares of renewables. 
• Community Engagement Reform public involvement strategies to make them process-oriented Assess impacts and benefits of the environmental justice initiatives. Benefits to the communities should be determined and defined. 
• Policy Framework: Realign renewable portfolio goal targets to be optimal ones Strengthen the oversight of the supported distributed energy program. Create equity based funding In the next two years, the steps that New York will take in the transition to clean energy will be relevant for lifetime of generations to come.

However, we cannot afford to be passive about climate change because of such issues. Rather, these issues should propel us to seek environmental and social justice in better ways to achieve such goals. 

Here, there is no time to waste. For, there are now some people who have only just recently got to know us but still found out through experience what the adversities caused by renewable energy gone bad can be, or say, disused grid connections. We have further complicated that reality, enjoying that duplication in the same social justice about which the energy sector does not care, allowing yet another group of poor people to be deprived of energy resources and cost-effective options to enhance the weather resistance of the grid. But the $4.2 billion dollars that Hochul has assured can still be utilized in the most efficient means of addressing these nightmare situations.

It is possible that these people could find other ways to resolve the challenges and challenges in such situations but they still prefer to rely on funds from the government and with the issue around cleaning. Of course, networks will be sufficient to stabilize about 40 to 50 percent of renewable energy. The time has come to move on and go after that building. How? There are alterations that have to change, most of which are practical whenever there is anger targeted at the industries that are responsible for the creation of these dilemmas.

The moment for reforms and allowing investments in ridiculous projects that will only bring negative future consequences should not be delayed. Our great grandchildren do not only wish for only a clean world free of carbon energy, intuitively they will wish that our generation is one that does things differently. Did we offer reliable electricity that would be safe and secure to all people? Did we deliver the benefits and at the same time offered a fair cost-sharing mechanism? Were the concerns of the residents factored? After the much-awaited reforms of technological nature and social justice-building elements are achieved, for climate changes New York will show how for big and progressive tasks the nature can be spared. But we are running out of time and we have to change the way we implement the. If not, our current position will be unsustainable in the years to come and so it is best to make the changes early.

What the New Yorkers truly care for is how this transition is implemented– not for the sole purpose of meeting green energy targets but rather to bring in more power into the folds of this country and render it more equitable.

References

Bailey, I., & Darkal, H. (2018). (Not) talking about justice: justice self-recognition and the integration of energy and environmental-social justice into renewable energy siting. Local Environment, 23, 3.

Denholm, P., Arent, D. J., Baldwin, S. F., Bilello, D. E., Brinkman, G. L., Cochran, J. M., Cole, W. J., Frew, B., Gevorgian, V., Heeter, J., Hodge, B.-M. S., Kroposki, B., Mai, T., O’Malley, M. J., Palmintier, B., Steinberg, D., & Zhang, Y. (2021). The challenges of achieving a 100% renewable electricity system in the United States. Joule, 5, 6.

Hess, D. J., & Lee, D. (2020). Energy decentralization in California and New York: Conflicts in the politics of shared solar and community choice. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 121, 109716-.

Khosravani, A., Safaei, E., Reynolds, M., Kelly, K. E., & Powell, K. M. (2023). Challenges of reaching high renewable fractions in hybrid renewable energy systems. Energy Reports, 9, C.

Liang, Y., Ma, Y., Wang, H., Mesbahi, A., Jeong, B., & Zhou, P. (2021). Levelised cost of energy analysis for offshore wind farms – A case study of the New York State development. Ocean Engineering, 239, 109923-.