The Real Energy Risk on Long Island: Unaffordable Electricity Bills

In a recent Newsday viewpoint, Renewable Energy Long Island Executive Director Melissa J. Parrott addressed a critical issue missing from much of today’s energy coverage: while public discussion often centers on fear and hypothetical risks of clean energy technologies like battery storage, Long Island residents are already facing a very real and urgent crisis — unaffordable electricity bills.

Long Island consistently ranks among the regions with the highest electricity rates in the country. For many families, monthly power bills are not an abstract policy issue; they are a growing financial strain that affects household budgets, health, and overall quality of life. Yet too often, media coverage of energy infrastructure focuses on speculative concerns without fully acknowledging the proven and ongoing costs of maintaining an outdated, fossil-fuel-dependent grid.

When energy reporting emphasizes fear over facts, it risks distracting the public from the true drivers of rising electricity costs. Aging fossil fuel infrastructure requires expensive maintenance, emergency repairs, and costly peak power purchases — expenses that ultimately fall on ratepayers. Doing nothing to modernize the grid does not keep energy affordable; it locks communities into a system that is increasingly unreliable and expensive.

As Melissa Parrott explains in her Newsday viewpoint, clean energy is not a luxury — it is a necessary tool. Technologies such as battery energy storage, renewable generation, and grid modernization are already being used across the country to improve reliability and reduce costs. Energy storage, for example, allows utilities to avoid purchasing expensive peak power during periods of high demand and reduces the need for emergency fixes when the grid is stressed. These savings can and should flow back to customers.

Importantly, clean energy solutions are not being deployed without oversight. Strong safety standards, transparent permitting processes, and ongoing monitoring are essential — and they already exist. When implemented responsibly, clean energy technologies make the grid more resilient, reduce pollution, and help stabilize long-term electricity costs.

At Renewable Energy Long Island, we believe the energy conversation must be rooted in the realities that families experience every day. Affordable, reliable electricity is not a partisan issue. It is a kitchen table issue. Framing clean energy as a threat without acknowledging the financial burden of the status quo does a disservice to Long Islanders who are already struggling to keep up with rising costs.

The choice before us is clear. We can continue paying more to prop up an outdated fossil fuel system — or we can invest in proven solutions that lower costs, strengthen the grid, and create a more resilient energy future for our communities. Clean energy, done right, is not the problem. It is a critical part of the solution.

Click Here to read the article

Or Read Below:

The big energy risk is electricity costs

"Newsday’s recent coverage of battery energy storage focused heavily on fear while giving little coverage to the real crisis facing residents: unaffordable electricity bills [“LI battery storage plans struggle to take charge,” News, Jan. 12]. When energy reporting emphasizes hypothetical risks but ignores the proven costs of maintaining an outdated, fossil-fuel-dependent grid, it does readers a disservice.

Long Island already has some of the highest electricity rates in the country, and families are feeling the strain every month. Framing clean energy solutions as a threat, without acknowledging the very real cost of maintaining our aging fossil fuel system, risks distracting from the true drivers of rising bills.

Clean energy is not a luxury. It is a necessary tool. Energy storage, renewable generation, and grid modernization are proven solutions that help utilities avoid expensive peak power purchases and emergency fixes — savings that flow back to ratepayers. When paired with strong safety standards and oversight, these technologies make the grid more resilient and more affordable.

We can continue paying more for an outdated system, or we can invest in solutions that can lower costs. Doing nothing will not make energy cheaper. Affordable, reliable energy is not a partisan issue. It is a kitchen table issue. And clean energy, done right, is part of the solution."

— Melissa J. Parrott, Executive Director of Renewable Energy Long Island