Clean Energy on Long Island: Looking Ahead to Tomorrow

Providing greener energy has been part of PSEG Long Island’s mission since we started in 2014, and it’s been part of PSEG’s overall mission for even longer. Now that New York’s Legislature has passed one of the most ambitious clean energy standards in the country, that commitment is more important than ever.

Our company has been hard at work charting a path to a clean energy future for Long Island and the Rockaways. We were already on track to meet New York State’s goals through 2025, and we look forward to playing a strong role in meeting the new standards set by the newly signed Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

This legislation, which Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed on June 20, sets a new statewide milestone of 70 percent renewable energy by 2030 and 100 percent by 2040. Its other requirements include:

• 9,000 MW of capacity from offshore wind by 2035
• 6,000 MW of capacity from solar by 2025
• 1,500 MW of energy storage capacity by 2023 increasing to 3,000 MW of energy storage capacity by 2030

PSEG Long Island is already working with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to meet our share of these ambitious goals. We are also planning the transmission and substation infrastructure improvements necessary to carry power from these proposed offshore wind developments.

So where are we today? PSEG Long Island is already committed to supporting 300MW of utility-scale renewable energy projects. Of these, 36 facilities are already operational, including solar farms and two utility-scale batteries that are the largest in New York State. Another 30 clean energy projects are slated to come online this year, including more largescale solar.

We will also be purchasing power from the 130MW offshore wind project that will soon be built 35 miles east of Montauk, NY. When this wind farm becomes operational at the end of 2022, it will be the largest in the country to date.

Now, let’s look at how we plan to keep achieving our clean energy targets. First, we think that offshore wind offers the greatest opportunity to give our customers a cost-effective share of the coming clean energy boom. We worked closely with NYSERDA as the agency developed its request for proposals to construct another 880MW of offshore wind to the south of Long Island. We are pleased to participate in the renewable energy credit pool associated with that proposed project.

To prepare for the increased requirements for energy storage, PSEG Long Island is actively looking at sites for utility-scale batteries. In fact, we already have 10MW of batteries installed and working on the east end of Long Island. We would expect that Long Island would be responsible for about 13 percent of that proposed 3,000MW target, so we are also looking at supporting other emerging energy storage options.

PSEG Long Island is proud to help clean energy flourish. Though we do not own any of the assets being built, we understand the need and we know our customers have a clear desire to reduce their carbon footprint. While the future of energy is ever-changing, we will continue to gaze out at the horizon and make the decisions that provide the cleanest power at the best possible value.