In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):
- Two huge infrastructure plans will power New York City with wind, solar, and hydropower.
- China pledges to end funding for overseas coal plants.
- UnderstandSolar is a free service that links you to top-rated solar installers in your region for personalized solar estimates. Tesla now offers price matching, so it’s important to shop for the best quotes. Click here to learn more and get your quotes. — *ad.
New York City’s clean power future
Fossil fuels currently power 85% of New York City’s electricity, but that’s going to end this decade.
That’s because New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) this week announced two major clean energy infrastructure projects to power New York City with wind, solar, and hydropower projects from Upstate New York and Canada.
Companies CleanPath NY and Hydro Quebec CEO will, according to the office of the mayor:
- Produce approximately 18 million megawatt-hours of upstate and Canadian renewable energy per year, enough to power more than 2.5 million homes
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 77 million metric tons over the next 15 years, the equivalent of taking 1 million cars off the road
- Provide $2.9 billion in public health benefits over 15 years that will result from reduced exposure to harmful pollutants — including fewer episodes of illness and premature death, fewer days of school or work missed, less disruption of business, and lower health care costs
“CleanPath NY includes the buildout of a 1,300-megawatt, 176-mile, high-voltage, direct-current power superhighway from Delaware County to New York City that would run underneath the Hudson and Harlem rivers,” according to the Bronx Times.
Further, the paper states, “Hydro Quebec CEO’s plan, Champlain Hudson Power Express, seeks to deliver hydropower into NYC through a 1,250-megawatt line that would supply roughly 1 million homes. Hydro-Quebec’s wind and hydropower resources will go from the Province of Quebec, Canada, into the Astoria Energy Center in Queens.”
Champlain Hudson Power Express is expected to deliver power to New York City from 2025, and Clean Path New York is expected to deliver in 2027.
The agreement would create $8.2 million in economic development and 10,000 jobs statewide.
Read more: All of New York City’s municipal vehicles will be fully electric by 2040
China’s big coal announcement
President Xi Jinping announced to the United Nations General Assembly yesterday that China will stop funding the construction of new overseas coal-fired power plants.
He did not provide a timeline for the end of coal financing, but so far this year, China has not funded any coal plants.
It’s a significant announcement, as China is the largest financier of coal plants abroad. That saying, half the coal in the world is burned by China domestically.
Xi said in his prerecorded video address:
China will step up support for other developing countries in developing green and low-carbon energy, and will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad.
Manish Bapna, president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in an emailed statement:
This is a major step forward on the long global march to a healthier, safer. and more prosperous world. By canceling plans to build dozens of coal-fired power plants in 20 countries, China is making a strong move toward a cleaner future overseas. This opens the door to bolder climate ambition from China and other key countries, at home and abroad, ahead of the global climate talks in Glasgow.
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