New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office says in order for the state to meet its renewable energy goals, the state needs to take multiple steps to increase their objectives of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA).
“New York State has rightly pursued an aggressive campaign to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit the most dangerous impacts of climate change,” DiNapoli said. “New York’s energy goals are attainable, but require careful attention and management to address challenges, meet ambitious deadlines and avoid future pitfalls.”
As of 2022, New York State has nearly 29% of the electricity generated coming from renewable sources. 75% being hydroelectric and the remaining 25% from wind and solar.
The report released by the Comptroller’s Office found New York will need to produce an additional 78,000 gigawatt hours above 2022 levels, an increase exceeding 200%, in order to reach the state’s 2030 CLCPA’s goal of 70% renewable energy. The information came from an analysis on projections from the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO).
NYISO also has projected New York will need to add an additional 20 gigawatts of installed renewable energy capacity by the end of this decade, currently triple the 2022 capacity that stood at 6.5 gigawatts.
Only in the last 20 years, the state has added 12.9 gigawatts of total electric generation, both fossil fuels and renewable sources. New York has struggled to increase its capacity of renewable energy from inconsistent funding, canceled projects, and delays.
