New York’s grid is struggling to handle the heat

New York's power grid is under growing strain during hot weather. In July, nearly 10,000 people in Southeast Queens lost power during a heat wave, and New York City's mayor asked residents to set air conditioners to 78 degrees to ease pressure on the system. Last year, the grid operator paid customers to cut electricity use 22 times to avoid overloads, far more than in past years. A federal reliability group has warned that New York faces a higher-than-usual risk of running short on power during extreme weather, as more homes switch to electric heat and appliances and as data centers and factories add to demand.

Much of downstate New York, including the city, still runs on old gas-fired power plants, and state law only requires retiring them once cleaner replacements are ready. Officials are trying to speed up smaller, local power sources, like rooftop solar and batteries, that connect directly to neighborhood power lines rather than the large regional grid. A bill called the SUNNY Act, now awaiting the governor's signature, would make it easier to install plug-in solar panels on balconies. Advocates say current rules treat these small setups, sometimes little more than a large appliance, like major construction projects, which can take years to approve.

Bigger clean energy projects, including offshore wind, face their own delays from high costs, slow grid-connection reviews, and federal opposition that has stalled some projects. If you're considering solar or battery storage for your own home, it's worth watching whether new state rules ease the approval process, since that's been one of the biggest obstacles so far.