Replacing New York City’s Dirty Peaker Power Plants with Renewables and Battery Storage

Every year, hundreds of millions of ratepayer dollars flow to the owners of a fleet of New York City power plants, known as “peakers”, that fire up to meet periods of high energy demand on the grid. These inefficient peaker plants spew harmful emissions into neighborhoods already overburdened by pollution, such as the South Bronx, Sunset Park, and other environmental justice communities, exacerbating widespread health problems, including the current COVID-19 crisis, which is particularly deadly for people with respiratory problems.

The PEAK Coalition—UPROSE, THE POINT CDC, New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, and Clean Energy Group—has come together to end this long-standing pollution burden on the city’s most climate vulnerable residents. The Coalition supports the transition away from polluting fossil-fuel peaker plants to a system of localized renewable energy generation and battery storage, resulting in reduced emissions, reduced electric utility bills, improved equity and public health, and a more resilient grid in the face of increased storms and climate impacts.

In this webinar, members of the PEAK Coalition detailed the finding of their new report, “Dirty Energy, Big Money,” which exposes the environmental and economic harms these power plants are inflicting on communities in New York City, and introduced measures the organizations are taking to replace peakers with renewables and battery storage.

Panelists:
– Annel Hernandez, Associate Director, New York City Environmental Justice Alliance
– Carlos Garcia, Energy Planner, New York City Environmental Justice Alliance
– Seth Mullendore, Vice President and Project Director, Clean Energy Group
– Rachel Spector, Director – Environmental Justice Program, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest
– Summer Sandoval, Energy Democracy Coordinator, UPROSE
– Dariella Rodriguez, Director of Community Development, THE POINT CDC