National Grid today (July 20) released the video recap of New York President Rudy Wynter's recent Electrification Tour of New York State. The tour and video highlight some of the renewable energy projects National Grid is investing in today to build a clean energy future that meets New York's emissions reduction goals and ensures reliable, affordable service for all New Yorkers.
The Electrification Tour recap video is available here.
"Meeting New York's clean energy goals is going to take a massive investment in renewable energy and upgrading the grid to meet increased demand and National Grid is ready to rise to the challenge. I had the amazing opportunity to visit groundbreaking renewable energy, storage, and efficiency projects across New York and talk with leaders driving our clean energy transition," said National Grid New York President Rudy Wynter. "It's easy to feel like climate change is too big a problem for us to tackle, but after seeing everything the amazing National Grid team and our partners are doing to build a robust clean energy system centered on electrification, I have no doubt that we will meet New York's climate change goals in a way that ensures reliable, affordable energy for all."
Renewable energy is the cornerstone of National Grid's plan to meet the climate change goals established by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). The company is investing billions in clean energy infrastructure, workforce development, and programs to help customers electrify their homes and businesses.
The Electrification Tour highlighted these investments with stops at renewable energy generation facilities, demonstrations of new technology to increase energy efficiency, and conversations with leaders driving New York's clean energy transition in Syracuse, Albany, and New York City.
Syracuse
The Electrification Tour began in Syracuse with Convergent Energy's ribbon cutting at the Pine Grove solar-plus-storage non-wires alternative (NWA) project. The facility is one of the first NWA projects in the United States and among the largest of its kind in North America, providing enough power for 50,000 local homes. By locating solar energy generation and storage at the same location, Pine Grove allows for consistent local energy supply, even when the sun is not shining, and reduces costs for consumers.
Following the ribbon cutting, Wynter visited an A Tiny Home for Good project that National Grid funded through the company's Project C commitment to the community. The company provided $250,000 to support the construction of four tiny homes on a previously vacant lot in an underserved Syracuse neighborhood that will be used to house formerly unhoused New Yorkers. The homes include solar panels built into the roofs and incorporate energy efficient appliances and other technology to reduce energy use.
Wynter ended the day with a visit to The State University of New York college of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF), where National Grid provided nearly $200,000 to support the installation of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations on campus through the company's EV Charger Make-Ready Program. Reducing emissions from transportation is critical to meeting New York's clean energy goals, and National Grid is leading efforts to develop more EV charging infrastructure with plans to install 18,000 chargers throughout the state. Last fall, the company released a first-of-its-kind study on the infrastructure needed to support EV charging on New York's highways, and it recently received additional funding from the federal Department of Energy to build on this research.
Other Electrification Tour stops in Syracuse included:
- A National Grid "Demo House" that incorporates smart meters that provide near real-time data on energy use to help customers reduce consumption. National Grid has already installed hundreds of smart meters to date with the goal of installing 1.7 million across upstate New York over the next four years. The company has other programs and tools to help customers increase their energy efficiency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save money.
- Murals at Schiller Park that National Grid funded through Project C. A local artist designed the murals to evoke unity and hope for a brighter future, and neighborhood kids helped to paint them.
- A conversation with Shawni Davis, the first Black woman to become a master electrician in Syracuse and the President & CEO of Luminary Electrical Contracting LLC. National Grid is committed to building a diverse, inclusive energy industry and works closely with small businesses like Luminary Electrical to ensure opportunities in the clean energy economy are accessible to women- and minority-owned small businesses.
Albany
Wynter began the Albany leg of the Electrification Tour with a conversation with New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) President and CEO Rich Dewey and Executive Vice President Emilie Nelson about the investments in clean energy infrastructure that will be needed to meet demand as more buildings, businesses, and vehicles electrify. According to the NYISO's latest research, New York will need to massively scale up its renewable energy generation and transmission capacity to accommodate widespread electrification.
Following the NYISO visit, Wynter toured Industrie, an all-electric mixed-use development project in downtown Albany. National Grid was one of the first utilities in the nation to support a commitment to full electrification for new construction and works closely with developers to connect new buildings to the grid and provide reliable, clean service to residents.
Wynter's last stop was National Grid's Seneca Street Training Center, where students in Hudson Valley Community College's Line Worker Certification program engage in hands-on learning to prepare for jobs in the growing clean energy industry. New York's clean energy transition will create thousands of good jobs building and maintaining renewable electric infrastructure, and National Grid is committed to making sure these opportunities are accessible to all New Yorkers. The company provides fully paid retraining programs for its existing workforce of more than 4,000 skilled union workers and partners with educators and employers to prepare students for new opportunities.
New York City
Wynter concluded the Electrification Tour with a visit to Gradient Comfort's facility at the Brooklyn Navy Yard for a demonstration of the company's electric window unit heat pumps. Gradient was one of two companies awarded contracts as part of the Clean Heat for All Challenge, a collaboration between the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), New York Power Authority (NYPA), and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to produce 30,000 heat pump units for use in New York City public housing facilities. The Brooklyn Navy Yard is a 300-acre urban manufacturing and innovation campus, home to more than 550 businesses of all sizes.
About National Grid
About National Grid: National Grid (NYSE: NGG) is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people through our networks in New York and Massachusetts. National Grid is focused on building a path to a more affordable, reliable clean energy future through our fossil-free vision. National Grid is transforming our electricity and natural gas networks with smarter, cleaner, and more resilient energy solutions to meet the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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