New York City is experiencing rising energy demand due to electric devices, vehicles, and AI, which risks more blackouts. The potential increased reliance on peaker plants, which emit higher greenhouse gases, primarily affects low-income communities of color already facing health issues. Simultaneously, rising power costs present additional burdens for residents. While alternatives like building retrofits and nuclear plants exist, they require decades to implement. A more immediate and effective solution involves community coalitions to reduce energy consumption, which could also financially benefit impacted areas.
New York City's energy grid is working overtime to keep up with demand that is rising more quickly by the day because of electric devices, electric vehicles, and AI. That puts the city at real risk for more blackouts, like we saw in 2019, and that risk will only grow.
Peaker plants use oil or natural gas to produce energy, spewing much higher rates of greenhouse gases into the air. Not surprisingly, they're mostly located in the same low-income communities of color already dealing with higher rates of asthma or other problems because of energy production.
The most likely outcome is that Con Ed will be required to increase the use of so-called 'peaker plants' this summer. This is bad news for New York City residents.
But believe it or not, there's a straightforward solution to the energy grid problem that we can advance in a few years, not a few decades.
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