How we’re unlocking more renewable energy without building new power lines

Central Hudson is working to make our electric grid smarter, cleaner, and more efficient while keeping costs manageable for customers. One of our newest projects does just that: It adds enough capacity to power nearly 150,000 homes, simply by using an innovative technology that helps move electricity more efficiently along our existing power lines.

The challenge

New York State has a big goal: to get 70% of its electricity from clean, renewable sources like wind and solar by 2030. But in some parts of the electric grid—including in Central Hudson’s service area—there are traffic jams. Power lines can get congested, making it hard to deliver renewable energy from where it’s produced to where it’s needed.

The solution

Instead of building new lines, Central Hudson partnered with Smart Wires to install 15 devices called SmartValves at our Hurley Avenue substation. These devices act like traffic signals, helping to guide electricity onto less-used parts of the grid. That freed up a huge amount of space—185 megawatts—to carry more clean energy without adding new infrastructure.

“Central Hudson is committed to reducing overall carbon emissions by making meaningful investments in our energy system,” said Ryan Hawthorne, Vice President of Electric Engineering and Operations. “Partnering with Smart Wires on our Hurley Avenue substation project has allowed us to unlock capacity on our grid that will increase our overall ability to move emission-free energy from where it is produced to where it is needed.”

The Smart Valves, shown on the left side of the photo, act like traffic signals, helping to guide electricity onto less-used parts of the grid

What makes it smart

✅ Freed up space for more renewable energy

✅ Saved customers an estimated $10 million compared to other options

✅ Takes up less space and was quicker to install

✅ Can be expanded in the future as energy needs grow

The bigger picture

This project builds on Central Hudson’s broader efforts to modernize the electric grid and support a cleaner energy future. After successfully testing the SmartValve technology on a smaller scale in 2019, the team refined the approach and scaled it up for this larger deployment. The technology enables clean energy to be delivered more quickly, reliably, and affordably—making it a smart investment with long-term benefits.

As one of the first utilities in the region to deploy SmartValves at scale, Central Hudson hosted peers at its Hurley Avenue substation to share insights and demonstrate how the technology is unlocking grid capacity.

What it means for you

This project another way Central Hudson is working to deliver affordable, reliable power while supporting New York’s clean energy goals. By using advanced technology to improve how the grid operates, we’re helping make sure that renewable energy can get to the homes and businesses that need it—without slowing down or raising costs.

See more ways we’re modernizing the grid to deliver value, reliability, and clean energy to our communities.