Utility-scale storage is part of the energy plan. Source: AES

New York’s governor is calling for the state to exit coal-fired electric power generation by 2020 and for utilities to procure at least 800 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind capacity through auctions to be held in 2018 and 2019.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo also called for further strengthening of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) to cut emissions from existing fossil fuel power plants, including peaking units. He also directed regulatory action to allow up to 1,500 MW of energy storage by 2025.

The so-called Clean Energy Jobs and Climate Agenda includes proposals for new rules to end the use of coal in the state's power plants by 2020. The proposal would include money for an Electric Generation Facility Cessation Mitigation Fund to address local economic impacts caused by any closure.

The plan also calls for expanding the existing RGGI and reducing emissions from power plants that are used during times of high demand.

Currently, RGGI covers power plants with a capacity of 25 MW or greater, leaving out many smaller "peaking" units. The state’s Department of Environmental Conservation is being directed to write rules to implement a 30 percent cap reduction of carbon dioxide that was announced in August 2017. The rules would extend to peaking units.

Wind and Storage

The plan also calls for at least 800 MW of offshore wind power to be procured between two solicitations in 2018 and 2019. These solicitations will be the first in a series to reach a 2030 target of up to 2.4 gigawatts of offshore wind.

In late October, the United States signed an agreement with Denmark to expand cooperation on offshore wind power. The cooperation will initially revolve around the exchange of experience and knowledge regarding how the U.S. can expand its energy supply with more offshore wind turbines.

In 2015, 42 percent of Denmark’s electricity demand was met by energy produced by wind turbines. The country has an installed generating capacity of 1.3 GW.

The U.S. Department of Energy has estimated that 35 percent of U.S. electricity could be produced by wind energy by 2050; one fifth of that could be from offshore wind energy. To achieve that, an investment of around $400 billion may be required.

The New York State plan also calls for deployment of 1,500 MW of energy storage by 2025. State energy agencies and authorities are being directed to work during 2018 to generate a pipeline of storage projects through utility purchases, regulatory changes in utility rates and wholesale energy markets, incorporating storage into criteria for large-scale renewable procurement, and reducing regulatory barriers.