The Power Grid

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An electric "grid" is a network of synchronized power providers and consumers that are connected by transmission and distribution lines and operated by one or more control centers. When people talk about the power grid, they're referring to the transmission system for electricity. The U.S. does not have a national grid--the continental U.S. is divided into three main power grids: the Eastern Interconnect, the Western Interconnect, and Texas Interconnect. Within each interconnection, there are wholesale and retail electricity markets, and New York State's market is NYISO [4]. 

According to NYS ISO Annual Grid & Markets Report Power Trends 2019, Nearly 90% of the energy produced upstate NY already is derived from carbon-free resources (thanks to Niagara Falls and St. Lawrence hydropower, four nuclear reactors, and other solar and wind facilities) while the downstate grid is only 28% carbon emission free [2]. The NYS electric grid is outdated, built on an antiquated tangle of operations, and full of bottlenecks that will limit the flow of electricity from upstate to downstate. The grid blacks out when the supply of power varies too much--eventually, too much wind energy in upstate will crash the grid [3]. It would be appropriate for downstate to be the focus of Governor Cuomo's green energy expansion. 

According to ISO's report, "Because load in the upstate region is not projected to grow, the addition of new renewable resources increasingly displaces other sources of clean generation instead of allowing more renewable resources to reach customers."

Adding more renewable energy to the update grid system without the ability to effectively move the energy downstate will result in higher energy prices for consumers [1]. 

“Can America’s power grid accommodate a more dominant role for renewables in the energy mix? As the grid stands today, the answer is no. Our society is putting increasing demands on electric infrastructure that wasn’t designed for today needs — much less what we’re asking of it to support a cleaner energy future. Modern, robust and flexible infrastructure for delivering electricity generation over long distances is essential to the nation’s successful transition to a larger share of renewable energy [1].”

The irony of wind energy generation systems, as the American Wind Energy Organization notes, “…is that because an increase in wind power capacity is seen on the grid as an increase in demand fluctuation, it requires dedication of other grid capacity to cover it. Rather than reducing other sources, wind power requires building more conventional capacity, particularly natural gas-fired plants, which it then forces to operate less efficiently [1]."

Following a directive from Governor Andrew Cuomo, the state Public Service Commission (PSC) has adopted a “Clean Energy Standard” that sets an ambitious goal for increased reliance on This is a content preview space you can use to get your audience interested in what you have to say so they can’t wait to learn and read more. Pull out the most interesting detail that appears on the page and write it here.wind- and solar-generated electricity in New York while mandating large subsidies to money-losing upstate nuclear power plants. The governor wants to make New York a “national leader” by having renewables provide 50 percent of the state’s electricity by 2030—a goal also known as “50 by 30”— while keeping unprofitable nuclear plants running. But as detailed in this report, the Clean Energy Standard has three major shortcomings: 

1. High Cost—While the governor and the PSC have portrayed the financial impact on ratepayers as minimal, the Clean Energy Standard is likely to add nearly $3.4 billion to New York utility bills in just the next five years. 

2. Questionable Feasibility—The 50 by 30 mandate will require the expansion of solar- and wind-generated power production on a massive and unprecedented scale—without providing needed improvements to an already strained electric transmission system. The PSC also failed to consider the added conventional generating capacity needed to back up renewables when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing. 

3. Low Impact—The overarching goal of the Clean Energy Standard is to fight projected global warming, but the standard will have a barely discernible impact on global greenhouse gas emissions. Indeed, under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), reductions in carbon emissions from New York power generators could be offset by an increase in emissions in eight other RGGI states.