State starts market-acceleration program focused on energy efficiency

New York has launched a $30 million program in an attempt to bring energy-efficiency technologies to market quickly.

The state calls the initiative the Energy Efficiency Market Acceleration Program. It will aim to accelerate energy-efficiency technologies’ development, attract technology companies to New York, create market channels for companies, build business development opportunities, and train professionals like engineers, contractors, and maintenance service providers to design and install energy-efficiency products.

The New York Power Authority is putting the program into effect. Its board of trustees voted to fund the effort in July.

The power authority’s partners in carrying out the initiative include the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the Electric Power Research Institute. The Electric Power Research Institute is a California–based nonprofit research organization that catalogs energy-efficiency products and services, identifies commercial trends, and screens and tracks emerging technologies.

“Energy efficiency is a critical component in New York’s energy policy, as it lowers utility bills while contributing to electricity-service reliability, economic development, and reduced greenhouse-gas emissions,” NYSERDA President and CEO Francis Murray said in a news release. “The Power Authority’s Energy Efficiency Market Acceleration Program under Gov. [Andrew] Cuomo complements NYSERDA’s efforts in this area to encourage the use of new energy-saving technologies with a goal of achieving these benefits for all New Yorkers.”

Contact Seltzer at rseltzer@cnybj.com