'Con Edison Clean Energy Update' Makes it Easier to Track Electric Grid's Green Transformation

New York’s largest energy-delivery company has launched the Con Edison Clean Energy Update, providing information on installations of solar panels, battery storage, electric vehicle chargers and other technologies as they help transform the power grid in the nation’s largest city.

Updated quarterly, the progress report will make it easier to track deployments of customer-owned clean energy technologies as these markets develop and expand in Con Edison’s service area, which includes 10 million people in New York City and Westchester County.

“The energy landscape is evolving faster than at any time in our company’s 200-year history, shifting toward cleaner, more decentralized and community-based energy solutions,” said Con Edison Chairman and CEO Tim Cawley. “The energy system of the future will put far more control in the hands of customers. This new era calls for unprecedented transparency and accessibility of information.”

Con Edison is committed to delivering 100 percent clean electricity by 2040, as outlined in the company’s recently expanded Clean Energy Commitment. That power will come from a combination of large renewable generators, such as offshore wind turbines, and distributed resources embedded in the local power grid, such as solar panels owned by customers.

Among the highlights of the Con Edison Clean Energy Update’s first installment:

• NYC and Westchester customers own nearly 45,000 rooftop solar systems totaling 419 megawatts of capacity, lowering their energy bills and helping the environment. Queens is the leading NYC borough for solar, with more than 14,000 systems installed.
• In 2021, our customers installed 7,280 solar energy systems totaling more than 70 megawatts of generating capacity. Those panels can be expected to generate the equivalent amount of energy as approximately 22,000 New York City homes would consume in a year.
• Electric heat pumps and other clean heat technologies have taken off in the New York City region, helping buildings move away from on-site fossil fuel consumption. Con Edison incentivized more than 9,700 clean heat projects in 2021, a 300 percent jump on the previous year, when the program began. Buildings are NYC’s largest source of carbon emissions.
• Electric vehicle registrations are accelerating, with more than 30,000 EVs now on the road in NYC and Westchester. Con Edison’s PowerReady incentive program has supported installation of 359 EV chargers through March 2022, including 42 DC fast chargers. Through PowerReady, the company aims to support the installation of approximately 19,000 charging plugs by 2025.

The Con Edison Clean Energy Update will complement the NYC Climate Dashboard launched recently by the Office of the NYC Comptroller, which tracks the city’s progress in meeting its climate goals.

“Data and transparency are critical to our City’s ability to address climate change and drive the just transition,” said NYC Comptroller Brad Lander. “Con Edison’s commitment to making clean energy data available to New Yorkers is an encouraging step as we track reduction milestones in our fuel, gas and oil energy consumption. It’s why my office released its NYC Climate Dashboard and how we can work to track our collective progress toward a cleaner, greener city.”

“New York City can't meet the scale of the climate crisis without transparency and accountability. Con Edison’s Clean Energy Update is an exceptional tool to help us track how the use of clean energy technologies is growing in our city, and how it is helping New Yorkers,” said New York City Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice Executive Director Kizzy Charles-Guzman. “We can now see that NYC customers are seeing savings on their energy bills thanks to their new solar installations, and that clean heat technologies are being adopted widely in the five boroughs, with 9,000 projects incentivized by Con Ed in just 2021. Decarbonizing our city by 2050 is possible, and this tool shows us that New Yorkers are up for the task.”

Con Edison is aggressively transitioning away from fossil fuels, and supports New York’s goal of reaching economywide net-zero carbon emissions by mid-century, in line with what scientists say is required to avoid the worst effects of climate change.

“New York’s thriving clean energy economy is creating jobs that pay well, offer great long-term career prospects, and provide a sense of deeper meaning to workers wishing to play a role in the fight against climate change,” Cawley said. “The Con Edison Clean Energy Update will make it easier for our customers and other stakeholders to follow New York City’s path to the clean energy future and learn how to participate in its multitude of benefits.”

Comments from stakeholders:

New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium (NY-BEST) Executive Director William Acker said: “NY-BEST congratulates Con Edison on the release of its Clean Energy Update, tracking the installations of solar panels, battery storage, electric vehicle chargers and other technologies in Con Edison territory. Reports like this are critical to tracking our progress in meeting New York State and New York City’s climate goals and to transforming our grid and transportation systems into clean modern systems.”

Zero Emission Transportation Association Executive Director Joe Britton said: “Con Edison is playing a vital role in electrifying our transportation system, which is our country’s largest source of greenhouse gas pollution. By installing hundreds of electric vehicle chargers and helping to ensure that those chargers are powered with increasingly clean electricity, Con Edison is helping New Yorkers reap the vast economic, health and climate benefits of zero-emission transportation.”

Urban Green Council Chief Executive John Mandyck said: “Data is crucial to tracking and accelerating NYC’s clean energy transition. Con Edison’s new Clean Energy Update will shed light on our progress and help chart the path to our future climate goals.”

New York League of Conservation Voters President Julie Tighe said: “New York has set bold climate goals, and we need data to support these efforts and track progress. By providing insight into the company’s green efforts, Con Edison is allowing New Yorkers to see where this progress is happening and where there are opportunities to continue taking steps toward a more resilient grid.”

Con Edison is a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc. [NYSE: ED], one of the nation’s largest investor-owned energy companies, with approximately $14 billion in annual revenues and $64 billion in assets. The utility delivers electricity, natural gas and steam to 3.5 million customers in New York City and Westchester County, N.Y.