Recalibrating what’s realistic for New York’s clean energy future

City & State New York presented its annual Energy Infrastructure Summit at lower Manhattan’s Museum of Jewish Heritage on Nov. 20, gathering public officials, private sector partners and nonprofit leaders to discuss major obstacles and how New York state can rise to meet growing demand for clean, reliable and affordable utility service.

Leading the charge at the daylong event was keynote speaker Rory Christian, chair and CEO at the state Public Service Commission, who called on the audience to “defy expectations through aspirations” and realize a system that is equal parts efficient and equitable.

The former engineer encouraged the audience to see beyond the standard binary of how expectations are viewed: realistic or unrealistic.

Christian offered another way of thinking about expectations. Not simply as realistic or unrealistic, but aspirational, finding the worth in actions taken, not solely in outcomes.

“I can think of no better example in modern history that defied expectations through aspirations (than President John F. Kennedy’s decree to put a man on the moon),” Christian said. “When (he) made this announcement in 1962, the American spacecraft program was in a sorry state and the Soviet Union had just put a man on the moon. To any casual observer, describing Kennedy’s expectations as aspirational would be generous at that. But, in July of 1969, the moon landing silenced all the naysayers” he said, chalking the achievement to “preparation, drive and focus” that “tilted expectations from unrealistic to eventually aspirational and, finally, to realistic.” Christian sees the same potential in the energy sector.

He has seen clearly that “customers are less willing to accept the loss of power during a storm, and when it happens, they want to know when they’ll get that power back. Uncertainty is unacceptable.”

The public also has a growing appetite for clean energy, something the energy sector hasn’t always prioritized. For example, the opening of the Ravenswood Generating Station in 1963 was seen as revolutionary, “a time when modernity and pollution were seen as intertwined.” The project would be inconceivable today.

Christian made clear his and the Public Service Commission’s commitment to providing affordable, safe and reliable utility service for New Yorkers, while also seeking ways to innovate. Despite high stakes and formidable obstacles out of their control, such as sweeping federal budget cuts that take aim directly at key initiatives, the Public Service Commission and Department of Public Service have been working to safeguard projects already underway, advancing shovel-ready initiatives as quickly as possible, and supporting the few remaining federal incentives available, such as for nuclear power.

There are also challenges for the commission that remain pertinent, even preceding the Trump administration. “(For) the last twenty years, our efforts to promote energy efficiency have meant little to no load growth. Today, across the state (and country), the need for electricity is growing sharply,” he said. Christian warned that if forecasts become reality, demand for electricity will far outpace supply at unprecedented levels.

Yet, Christian is confident the commission is staying ahead of the curve as best as possible, investing billions in transmission capacity over the past four years, building infrastructure, facilitating interconnection and bracing against headwinds where they come.

“It is my sincere hope that we can all work in partnership to achieve the various goals that the state of New York has, while overcoming this new set of challenges that we all must face,” he told the audience.

Following Christian’s remarks were a series of thematic panels, covering topics such as climate resiliency as well as balancing sustainability and economic growth across the state.

The first panel centered around reimagining New York’s energy infrastructure goals, with panelists proposing initiatives such as natural gas bans, grid modernization and climate-resilient design that can play a critical role in the state’s efforts to meet surging demand for resilience, sustainability and environmental equity.

The second discussion highlighted the economic and labor implications of New York’s ambitious energy agenda, tackling avenues for job creation, including breaking down social stigmas surrounding much-needed trades, and cultivating growth in overlooked regions.

The third panel focused on the work New York has to do to build climate resilience across the state, as climate crises become more frequent and decades-old infrastructure continue to crack under the pressure. They also discussed the importance of cross-agency collaboration, public-private partnerships, educating future policymakers and advocates about sustainability and energy equity, affordability on the consumer’s end, and perspectives on the incoming Mamdani administration’s approach to climate resilience.

Panelists on the event’s final discussion shared pathways toward creating “climate-smart” communities through policy and partnership. Refreshingly, the largest city in the state was not the center of attention in this conversation, as panelists debated the feasibility of New York’s climate regime in advancing environmentally resilient living and not dissuading key industries that allow rural New Yorkers to be able to put food on the table.