Much of what we think we know about renewable technology comes from visual association. However, much of renewable energy is invisible.


One such project is a proposed cable to bring electricity generated from renewable sources to New York City. The high-voltage direct current (HVDC) electric transmission line will be installed underground and underwater.


In April, Empire State Connector Corp. (ESC) filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for the 260-mile, 1,000-megawatt line. It will transmit electricity generated from zero-emission sources in upstate New York. The lines will be routed primarily under the Erie Canal and Hudson River and underground. 


The route will “unlock” upstate renewable and zero-emission generators, helping New York State achieve its goal of 50 percent renewable generation by 2030, said John Douglas, ESC CEO.


According to the application, the line will originate at a converter station near Utica, N.Y., and it will terminate at a converter station in New York City. The stations will be connected by two solid-state HVDC cables.


The project will be built under a project labor agreement (PLA), using New York State construction workers and labor unions affiliated with the New York State Building Trades. ESC estimates the project will create more than 500 construction jobs and 1,200 indirect jobs during the three-to-four-year construction period. The target in-service date is 2021.


For more on HVDC, see “Power to the People."