Inside Ravenswood Generating Station, New York City’s largest power plant, the air trembles from the inferno swirling in its giant boiler. It’s early August, and a large digital display in the control room — resembling an alarm clock — reads off how many megawatts of energy are flowing into the boroughs. The red digits move from 299 to 311 in an instant. The facility is almost at maximum capacity, as the city sweats through a string of heat waves.

“We've been running at near full output for the last couple of weeks while we've been in this recent hot spell,” said Ravenswood CEO Clint Plummer.

Most New Yorkers recognize the Ravenswood Generating Station from its four red-and-white smoke stacks rising from Long Island City. They’re an iconic part of the East River waterfront — its pillars jutting from Long Island City like an industrial parthenon.

The facility has long supplied at least 20% of the city’s energy needs — primarily by burning natural gas and fuel oil. But these energy sources now run afoul of the city and state’s goals of going green to prevent the worst consequences of climate changes — problems that could devastate the waterfront where Ravenswood sits.

So last month, Rise, Light & Power — the current owner of the facility — announced a proposal to transition the 2,480-megawatt energy center to 100% renewable energy. Their plan calls for a combination of wind, geothermal energy and battery storage that would be funded through their own capital along with state and local grants. If approved, the project could have a massive impact on reducing local carbon emissions and air pollution — a boon for people’s short-term and long-term health.

Click "listen" in the player to take a tour of the facility and hear about the plan. And for the full story, visit Gothamist.