New York has allocated another $15 million to its grid modernization plan. The goal of the project is to improve service delivery, energy efficiency and make the grid resilient in the face of increasing extreme weather and other threats.
The funding comes as New York works toward the goal of deploying 1,500 megawatts of energy storage by 2025 and having half of the state’s electricity coming from renewable energy sources by 2030.
“One of the most critical components in our fight against climate change is the modernization of our electric grid,” Governor Cuomo said.
Overall project funding is available through the state’s 10-year, $5.3 billion Clean Energy Fund. In total, $110 million is dedicated to modernizing New York’s electric grid through 2022.
In 2016, New York funded $9.6 million worth of projects focused on developing its smart grid. The resulting 22 contracts are working on developing smart grid technologies aiding in the analysis of solar interconnections and the integration of energy storage, digital solutions, and advanced sensor applications.
For this round, New York is looking for proposals to help it develop a high performing smart grid that will accommodate a diverse supply of clean energy generation resources, enhance overall electric grid performance, and enable customers to reduce their energy costs, energy consumption, and environmental impacts. The project will be administered by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
NYSERDA will award projects through a two-step competitive process. Applicants will initially submit concept papers of their proposals for a rigorous evaluation process. Based on those evaluations, a select group of applicants will be invited to submit full proposals for further evaluation. The final proposals selected will receive funding to move forward.
Concept papers will be accepted through July 18, 2018 in one of four categories: research studies, engineering studies, product development, and demonstration projects. Papers should focus on projects that will aid in developing innovative cybersecurity and data analytics or advanced planning, operations, and forecasting tools. Concept papers should also demonstrate how their proposals will advance the state’s goal to have 50 percent of its electricity come from renewable resources by 2030.
