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Hydro-Quebec Looks to Bring Clean Energy to Queens
TECHNOLOGY MAKING QUEENS CAPITAL OF CLEAN ENERGY
BY PETER ROSE
Hydro-Quebec, the largest renewable energy generator in North America, is pleased to join the Queens Chamber of Commerce and contribute to the health, prosperity, and vitality of the borough’s community as it builds back better and stronger in response to COVID-19.
Thanks to its vast hydropower system and interconnected transmission network, Quebec has been supplying Upstate New York with clean flexible and reliable electricity for over 100 years.
But because of transmission bottlenecks in the middle of the state, this clean energy wasn’t getting to where it’s most needed to significantly clean up our energy supply: New York City.
Currently, less than 30 percent of New York’s energy mix is renewable. As of April 2021, with the closure of the Indian Point Nuclear facility, New York City’s largest source of non-emitting power, it’s the burning of fossil fuels that provide 90 percent of the city’s electricity needs.
Much of that electricity is produced in and near communities, including in Queens. This has resulted in higher-than-average asthma rates due to local air pollutants emitted from the plants’ smokestacks located in the middle of neighborhoods.
Further, the price volatility and high costs of operating those plants increase the burden on families struggling to pay their electricity bills.
In response to the growing climate and health crisis, New York State has set into law targets for 70 percent renewable electricity by 2030 and 100 percent carbon-free power by 2040.
Included in the law are ambitious goals for developing offshore wind and land-based wind and solar. However, in doing the math and taking into consideration all contracted and planned renewable energy, the state recognized a gap in potential downstate supply to meet these targets, and as a result created a new tier in its Clean Energy Standard. Following this assessment, the state launched a competitive process to select projects to increase the penetration of renewable sources of electricity into New York City and reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.
Hydropower is a great solution because it’s proven cost competitive, reliable, flexible, and can provide the balancing capacity that other renewable generation sources need to be effectively integrated into New York’s electricity system.
Hydro-Québec’s energy can be a significant part of the solution, but new interconnecting transmission is required to reach New York City. The proposed Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) transmission line arriving in Astoria could help bridge that gap by providing this new interconnection.
CHPE is a shovel-ready, underground, and underwater line that will use New York union labor. It is the only project of its kind that is fully permitted and could begin construction this year and start delivering clean power in 2025.
CHPE would provide $50 billion of economic benefits over the contract period and create an estimated 1,400 direct construction jobs and 3,000 indirect jobs.
Thanks to 1,250 MW of renewable power - enough electricity for more than 1.2 million homes – this clean power influx will reduce carbon emissions by approximately 3.9 million metric tons annually, equivalent to removing 44 percent of cars from New York City streets. It will also reduce localized pollutants by 20 percent with half of that decrease occurring in New York City and directly benefiting disadvantaged communities.
Also, a $40 million Green Economy Fund would be created to support job training programs accessible to frontline and environmental justice communities
Hydro-Québec and CHPE’s New York-based developer, TDI, have proposed the delivery of clean baseload power available 24/7 to New York City as well as the option for a combination of hydroelectricity and New York renewable energy that would connect to CHPE Upstate.
Having access to constantly available clean baseload hydropower at the flick of a switch and the unparalleled energy storage services of the Hydro-Québec reservoir system is the most cost effective and reliable way to balance the future development of local variable renewable sources like solar and wind.
Hydro-Quebec is committed to further strengthening its ties in Queens. Together we can contribute to making the “World’s Borough” the capital of New York’s clean energy transition.
HEAVY-DUTY ELECTRIC VEHICLES
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infancy, the role of utilities needs to focus on the success of the sector and protecting ratepayer money.
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE
• Innovate Business Models — Often, the end user just wants a vehicle to perform its core job, which is delivering goods or transporting passengers and collecting fares and charges.
Hence it is essential that innovative business models remove all challenges and provide like-forlike replacement. Let financing of fleets, monetizing electric fleets as grid services, and providing chargers be left to the pros to create the gas stations of the future. • Expand Utility Footprint - Utilities need to be proactive by investing in both vehicle rebates and charging infrastructure. Unlocking billions in infrastructure will not happen by waiting on the sidelines.
Utilities exist in the public interest and should step up in this role to serve communities who depend on them. • Innovate Regulations - Transportation electrification is a complex multi-industry undertaking and electricity regulators should acknowledge that they do not have the expertise required.
The electrification of MD/HD vehicles has the potential to provide new opportunities for fleet operators while achieving the critical goal of emission reductions and improved air quality.
Initiatives like the NYSERDA Clean Transportation Prize promise to jumpstart the transition, but for EV fleets to be truly viable, small fleets, not just the Amazons of the world, will need support in the form of greater affordability, access, and business model innovation.
