에너지 탄력성

Climate Risks

New Yorkers are already feeling the impacts of climate change. According to the New York City Panel on Climate Change, the average maximum summer temperature has risen between 2.5°F and 3.5°F since 1970, and prolonged heat waves are becoming more common. New Yorkers are experiencing more frequent storm events and heavier downpours. Sea levels at the Battery have already risen more than 18 inches since 1850.

Our energy system is vulnerable to these changes. For example, high winds during coastal storms can knock down overhead wires, and heat waves can cause electrical equipment failure. Rising seas can damage equipment located close to the waterfront if not flood protected.

Learn more about the climate change challenges NYC faces here.

Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy devastated NYC in 2012, resulting in 44 lives lost, thousands of displaced residents, and two million people without power.

Since Hurricane Sandy, the City has strongly advocated for our energy systems to be built to withstand the increasing impacts of climate change, even as we move toward carbon neutrality. The City has driven climate change planning efforts at our electric utilities (Con Edison and the Long Island Power Authority), our gas utilities (Con Edison and National Grid), and our grid operator (the New York Independent System Operator, or the NYISO).

Con Edison, in coordination with the City, undertook a detailed analysis to identify and prioritize over $1 billion worth of storm hardening investments across its electric, gas and steam systems, including the installation of 100 miles of new cable, 4,000 poles, and 1,000 switches, segmenting portions of networks more prone to coastal flood risk, and transitioning to submersible equipment.

Planning for the Future

Looking beyond storm hardening, the City then played a critical role in advocating for and working with Con Edison to conduct a detailed Climate Change Vulnerability Study, which assessed how a broad range of climate risks, including temperature and humidity as well as rainfall and cold snaps, could impact critical Con Edison assets and operations. The findings of the Study directly inform Con Edison’s Resiliency and Adaptation Plan, updated in 2021, including specific approaches to incorporate climate change projections into their utility planning processes, operations, asset and equipment design and worker safety.

The NYISO is also conducting studies to better understand how climate change will impact the State’s power grid, as well as how the transition to renewables like wind and solar will change the way our energy system functions.