​Modo Energy Presents is a new documentary series about the business of energy - and the mechanics of power markets. Each film takes a real-world grid problem, follows the money and the physics and the policy, and explains (in plain English) why “just build more renewables” is often the wrong level of abstraction.

Watch: Why is it so hard to build renewables in New York?

​Our first episode goes to New York: a state with some of the most ambitious climate targets in America - and some of the hardest constraints to navigate.

In this film, Peter Berini (Director of Industry at Modo Energy) breaks down why power is uniquely difficult to decarbonize: electricity has to be produced and delivered in real time - and unlike most commodities, we can’t store it for long durations at scale (yet).

That physical reality collides with New York’s geography, institutions, and incentives.

​New York’s law requires 70% renewable electricity by 2030 and 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040. But in 2026, those targets look increasingly unrealistic: nearly half of New York’s electricity still comes from burning natural gas, and the state has built only a fraction of the renewable capacity it promised.

So, why is New York so bad at building new renewable energy?

The answer isn’t one thing. It’s three: technology, bureaucracy, and economics.

​This documentary is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.

1) Technology: The grid is constrained by physics — and by land

New York’s power grid is split in two:

• Upstate: lots of land, lots of clean generation (hydro, nuclear, wind, solar).
• Downstate (NYC and surrounds): huge demand, tight land, and legacy gas plants that are hard to replace.

Even if upstate builds more wind and solar, moving that energy downstate is the bottleneck.

Transmission lines aren’t infinite. Peter’s analogy is simple: they’re like water pipes, with limits on how much “flow” they can carry.

And building new “pipes” is slow and expensive:

• Millions of dollars per mile.
• Routes that touch private property, protected land, Indigenous territories, and many layers of local government.

The result: even when clean generation exists (or could exist), the grid can’t always deliver it where it’s needed, when it’s needed.

2) Bureaucracy: The interconnection queue is where projects go to die

New York isn’t short on developer interest. But the pathway to permission is one of the slowest in the country.

NYISO (the New York Independent System Operator) runs the grid - think “air traffic controller for electricity.” Its job is reliability: when you flip a switch, the lights come on.

One of the biggest friction points is interconnection: the process for connecting new solar, wind, and battery projects to the grid. That process runs through an interconnection queue - effectively a waiting list.

As of December 2025, the queue held ~27 GW of clean energy projects. But volume isn’t delivery. Projects face:

• Large deposits to enter the queue.
• Feasibility studies and environmental work.
• “Cluster studies” (complex transmission modeling that determines upgrade costs).

The brutal part: interconnection upgrades can represent an enormous share of total project cost.

Unsurprisingly, most projects never make it: “I would say 90% plus projects do not make it through to commercial operations.”

3) Economics: Even “needed” clean power doesn’t always pencil

Even if a project survives interconnection and permitting, the financial case can still fall apart.

New York build costs are structurally higher

State-backed renewable contracts often require higher wage standards and apprenticeship-linked labor rules. These supports local jobs - but they increase build costs versus places like Texas.

Market design can underpay renewables and batteries

Capacity markets (paying generators to be available during peak stress events) don’t always reward intermittent output the way they reward dispatchable plants. Solar, for example, is least useful during evening peaks when demand is at its highest (roughly 6-9pm).

And for batteries: New York’s market is designed to avoid extreme price volatility - good for consumers, harder for merchant storage to finance.

Policy uncertainty: Offshore wind whiplash adds risk

New York’s decarbonization plan leans heavily on offshore wind - but federal policy volatility can freeze investment appetite fast. The film highlights how abrupt shifts (lease pauses, legal disputes, reversals) create uncertainty that ripples through financing and supply chains.

What New York can learn from Texas (without becoming Texas)

One easy comparison made throughout the episode is between ERCOT (Texas) and NYISO.

Texas has historically taken a more “connect and manage” approach: interconnect sooner, manage constraints and upgrades over time. That approach can accelerate deployment - but it also shifts risk and can create congestion and curtailment if transmission doesn’t keep up.

The core question New York has to answer is not whether it wants a cleaner grid - it does - but whether its current process is capable of delivering the pace required by its targets.

Peter’s verdict on 70% renewables by 2030 is blunt: “No way. Not a chance.”

But the point isn’t doom. It’s clarity: ambition without delivery mechanisms is just a press conference.

Key takeaways (for investors, developers, and policymakers)

• New York’s problem is structural: land constraints downstate, transmission congestion between regions, and legacy infrastructure.
• Interconnection is the choke point: high costs + long timelines + uncertain upgrade requirements = project attrition.
• Market incentives matter: clean assets need bankable revenue structures, not just targets.
• Policy volatility raises the cost of capital: uncertainty delays projects even when demand is obvious.

FAQ

Why is New York behind on renewables?

Because New York faces a combined set of constraints: limited land near NYC, transmission bottlenecks between upstate generation and downstate demand, a slow and costly interconnection process, and market economics that don’t always make projects financeable.

What is NYISO?

NYISO is the New York Independent System Operator - the organization that operates New York’s power grid and runs systems (including interconnection) that ensure reliability and balance supply and demand.

What is an interconnection queue?

It’s the process and waiting list for new generation (wind, solar, batteries) to be studied and approved to connect to the grid. In New York, it includes feasibility and cluster studies and can trigger major upgrade costs.

Why can’t upstate renewables just power NYC?

Because the transmission network between upstate and downstate is constrained. Building new transmission is expensive and politically complex, and existing lines are “crowded.”

Why are batteries harder to finance in New York than in Texas or California?

Because New York’s market design tends to limit extreme price volatility. That stability benefits consumers, but merchant battery economics often rely on volatility to generate returns.

About Modo Energy Presents

Modo Energy Presents is our documentary arm: global, on-the-ground reporting that explains how power markets actually work - and why energy transitions succeed in some places and stall in others.

If you work in energy finance, development, policy, or grid operations, this series is built for you: fewer slogans, more mechanisms.

Next up: more market deep-dives - and more places where the story isn’t “renewables versus fossil fuels,” but queues, wires, contracts, and incentives.