Why is it so hard to build renewables in New York?

New York legally committed to generating 70% of its electricity from renewables by 2030, and 100% carbon-free power by 2040. Nearly a decade later, the state is way behind schedule.

In the first episode of Modo Energy Presents, our new series of video documentaries, we examine why building renewable energy in New York is so difficult - despite strong political support and ambitious targets.

We explore:

• Transmission bottlenecks between upstate and downstate.
• The NYISO interconnection queue, now holding ~27 GW of projects.
• Why 90% of proposed projects never reach commercial operations.
• Interconnection costs that can account for 60% of total project CapEx.
• Offshore wind policy uncertainty.
• Capacity market dynamics that favour dispatchable generation.
• And why battery energy storage economics differ from ERCOT and California.

Featuring Peter Berini, Director of Industry at Modo Energy, this episode compares New York’s “cluster study” interconnection model with ERCOT’s faster “connect and manage” approach - and asks whether structural reform is necessary to hit renewable targets.

A Modo Energy production.

Music licensed via Artlist.

Stock footage licensed via Pond5 (via Everly).

This documentary is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.