Is New York's upcoming energy "summit" just for show?

Governor Hochul has just announced that the state will hold a “Future Energy Economy Summit” next month, at which “global experts [will] discuss the role of next generation clean energy technologies and strategies to accelerate renewable energy deployment while collectively supporting economic development in New York.”

A press release from Hochul’s office said the one-day event at the Marriott Downtown in Syracuse on Sept. 5 “will convene relevant state agencies and authorities, global and federal leaders, power producers, technical experts, labor groups, environmental groups, business groups and other interested stakeholders,” who “will explore how next-generation clean energy technologies can support the establishment and expansion of commercial and industrial enterprises, as well as how the state can accelerate the deployment of dispatchable emissions-free resources that will be needed to bolster its notable and ongoing efforts to scale renewable energy.”

That’s certainly a mouthful.

Unfortunately, the huge cast of characters involved in the summit—including “leadership and staff” from no less than eight state agencies, led by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)– is grounds for worry that the gathering will simply be a promotional dog-and-pony show for the state’s unrealistic energy agenda.

A huge gap to fill

Under the Climate Act, the state’s goals include a mandated increase to 70 percent renewable energy sources by 2030 and a requirement that all electricity originate with “zero-emissions” sources by 2040. Among the real issues yet to be addressed are those raised at last December’s Department of Public Service (DPS) “ Zero Emissions by 2040” technical conference, which confirmed the need for a new category of Dispatchable Emissions-Free Resources (DEFR) to fill the generating capacity gap that will be created by increased reliance on intermittent solar and wind power.

DEFR technologies simply do not exist yet on a commercial scale, and it is very unlikely that they will be available when needed to meet the arbitrary Climate Act schedule. The governor’s press release hints at the problem with its reference to “gathering further input on technologies including next generation geothermal, advanced nuclear, clean hydrogen, [and] long-duration energy storage, as well as other emerging technologies.” Reinforcing hope that the summit is intended to address the need to implement currently unavailable DEFR technologies, the press release includes this paragraph:

NYSERDA and DPS staff are currently developing technology and economic studies of diverse generation technologies that could complement the state’s wide scale deployment of renewable energy and play an expanded role in a decarbonizing economy. These studies will gather information and examine technologies ranging from small modular nuclear reactors to long-duration energy storage technologies to grid-forming inverters. The studies will complement the outputs from this summit and inform the State’s options for future generation including through the [Public Service] Commission’s proceeding.

We’ll see.

What’s on tap

The agenda for the day-long (8 am-5 pm) summit is as follows:

Welcome Remarks and Morning Keynote
State of Technology
Status of Next Generation Energy Technologies
Luncheon Keynote
Insights from Large Consumers of Electricity
Global Perspectives: Representatives from other states and nations who are pursuing advanced nuclear installations.
New Nuclear Blueprint: Vet Draft Blueprint as framework for New Nuclear Master Plan
Wrap-up and Next Steps

As Tim Knauss pointed out in this Syracuse.com story on the upcoming summit, two of the agenda items are focused on nuclear power (which perhaps explains why the summit will be in Syracuse, near the state’s three remaining nuclear power plants). And, Knauss wrote, NYSERDA Chair Doreen Harris readily acknowledged the role nuclear must play in filling the zero-emission generation gap:

At this point, nuclear power is a more mature technology than many alternatives, [Harris] said.

“It is actually a more, I’d say, advanced area of commercial viability, as opposed to some of the other resources that we see on the technical horizon at this point,’’ Harris said in an interview Monday.

NYSERDA plans to develop a roadmap for the potential deployment of new nuclear power, similar to the Offshore Wind Master Plan the authority crafted to guide development of that resource, Harris said. NYSERDA plans to gain expert feedback at the Syracuse summit to help prepare a policy for new nuclear power, she said.

The need to reassess the policy is becoming increasingly evident and open. The Public Service Commission (PSC) Clean Energy Standard Biennial Review Report found that the 70% renewable energy goal will likely not be achieved until 2033. In a recent audit of Climate Act Goals, state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office found that the PSC and NYSERDA implementation plans did not comprise all essential components, including “assessing risks to meeting goals and projecting costs.” The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) 2023-2042 System & Resource Outlook described issues that threaten the reliability and resilience of the current and future electric system. And the governor herself has acknowledged the state is “probably” going to miss its renewable energy goals.

Complicating the challenge is the Green New Deal aspect of New York’s Climate Act commitments, reflected in the heavy emphasis on economic development in Hochul’s summit announcement, which also emphasized the need to address “key factors to develop these [advanced zero-emission] technologies’ supply chain investments in New York, workforce opportunities, and how these investments can be leveraged to support large load growth and low-carbon economic development across New York while benefiting disadvantaged communities.” But there’s been a lack of any feasibility analysis of these goals.

For a more detailed exploration of the issues surrounding the state’s forthcoming “Future Energy Economy Summit,” see this post at Pragmatic Environmentalist of New York.