Con Edison customers are electrifying their vehicles, embracing solar energy, and installing clean heating systems in their homes, helping to support New York's transition away from fossil fuels.
According to Con Edison's Clean Energy Update, the company's customers now own more than 533 megawatts of solar capacity spread across 58,000 individual solar systems.
Last year was a record year for solar additions in New York City and Westchester County, and Con Edison continues to transform its electric grid into a flexible, dynamic system that supports customer-owned clean energy resources such as electric vehicles and heat pumps.
Con Edison recently filed its 2023 Distributed System Implementation Plan with the New York Public Service Commission, providing detailed roadmaps for integrating more local clean energy resources while advancing New York's climate goals.
"The clean energy transition is critical for New York, and it will take a diverse range of clean energy resources operating in harmony to reach our shared climate goals," said Raghusimha Sudhakara, Con Edison's vice president for Distributed Resources Integration. "We're enhancing our smart grid to accommodate more customer-owned resources, which can add demand flexibility to the system. By helping New Yorkers electrify their vehicles and embrace solar technology, we're doing our part to usher in an equitable clean energy future that benefits us all."
Paving the Way for Local Clean Energy Resources
Con Edison's Distributed System Implementation Plan highlights actions the company has taken over the past two years and those planned for the next five years to further support distributed energy resources and integrate them into the company's planning and operations.
Con Edison is building infrastructure and adding capabilities that make it easier for customers to install clean energy technologies in homes and businesses. Embedded at the neighborhood level, these distributed energy resources will play a critical role in New York's clean energy transition, complementing larger renewable generators.
Con Edison has expanded and enhanced the distribution-system data it provides to clean energy developers, helping them pinpoint areas of opportunity for new projects. The company has also streamlined the process for interconnecting new resources to the grid, helping to reduce project timelines and cost.
EV Charger Market Revs Up
Electric vehicle chargers are expanding rapidly, thanks to support from Con Edison's PowerReady program, which offers financial incentives for new EV charge points. PowerReady has seen a rapid uptake since its 2020 start, having supported more than 4,000 charge points,
including 1,400 in this year alone. Every EV that replaces a gas-powered vehicle on the road means cleaner air for local communities and less carbon pollution fueling climate change.
PowerReady aims to support 19,000 charging plugs by 2025, on the road to 400,000 plugs in 2035 - and 1 million by 2050. Con Edison is also committed to electrifying its own fleet of light-duty vehicles by 2035.
Supporting Customer-Owned Projects
Installing a solar or battery system in a home or business can offer customers a new level of control over how they obtain and use energy. The ongoing expansion of solar power will help meet rising demand from electric vehicles and heat pumps as New York moves away from fossil fuels.
In the future, such customer-owned projects will be able to participate in the state's wholesale energy market, allowing their owners to earn compensation for the grid services they provide. This expansion of market opportunities will act as a further catalyst for growth for distributed energy resources.
Con Edison is a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc. [NYSE: ED], one of the nation's largest investor-owned energy companies, with approximately $16 billion in annual revenues and $64 billion in assets. The utility delivers electricity, natural gas and steam, and serves 3.6 million customers in New York City and Westchester County. For financial, operations and customer service information, visit conEd.com. For energy efficiency information, visit coned.com/energyefficiency. Also, visit us on Twitter and Facebook.
