The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) will administer a new competition this fall to support “innovative resiliency” and clean-energy projects across the state. The $40 million NY Prize competition challenges New York businesses, entrepreneurs, and electric utilities to design and implement community-based microgrids, which seek to offer energy independence, along with […]
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) will administer a new competition this fall to support “innovative resiliency” and clean-energy projects across the state.
The $40 million NY Prize competition challenges New York businesses, entrepreneurs, and electric utilities to design and implement community-based microgrids, which seek to offer energy independence, along with local power generation and distribution.
The competition aims to “inspire a new generation of local power,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office said in a news release announcing the competition.
The NY Prize Competition will work with the private sector to spur new business models and community partnerships to increase reliability and reduce costs for consumers. The state has posted information about the program at the NY Prize website at www.nyserda.ny.gov/ny-prize
Adjusting to the “new reality” of extreme weather means making our communities as resilient as possible, and that is “especially important” when it comes to local electrical grids, Cuomo contended in the news release.
“This competition will encourage individuals and organizations across the state to come up with plans for protecting and strengthening their electrical system in the face of major storms. That will mean safer communities for New Yorkers, and I encourage businesses and utilities to put their best ideas forward this fall,” said Cuomo.
Under NYSERDA’s administration, the competition will “prioritize project replicability and transparency as well as designate feasibility and design requirements,” according to the governor’s office.
Microgrids are local energy networks that are able to “fully separate” from the larger electrical grid during extreme weather events and emergencies, providing “vital” public services and power to residential customers and operators such as hospitals, first responders, and water-treatment facilities, Cuomo’s office said.
Microgrids are an “important component” in Gov. Cuomo’s vision for a “cleaner, more affordable and resilient” energy system and can play a “critical role” in preparing communities to “better withstand” future weather-emergency events, Richard Kauffman, chairman of energy and finance for New York state, said in the release.
“With the upcoming launch of NY Prize, communities will engage at the grassroots level in securing their energy independence while also serving as a model for the rest of the nation,” said Kauffman.
The governor’s office cites data from Boston, Mass.–based GTM Research that indicates New York is leading Northeastern states with 75 microgrid deployments and 200 megawatts of installed microgrid capacity.
GTM Research is part of Greentech Media, which describes itself on its website as a “business to business site covering daily news and market analysis about the end-to-end greentech market.”
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com