New York unveils roadmap to ramp energy storage amid 2030 climate path setbacks
Plan approved by utility regulators aims to boost total storage capacity to 6GW and grid-scale by almost 20-fold
New York utility regulators have approved a new “roadmap” to achieve 6GW of energy storage capacity by 2030 amid faltering efforts to keep the state on track toward meeting its ambitious climate mandates.
The 6GW target represents at least 20% of New York’s peak electricity load and is ahead of similar efforts by other states to advance deployment of the technology, according to Governor Kathy Hochul’s office.
New York now has 1.3GW of grid-scale (bulk), residential, and retail energy storage capacity in place. On 1 January, it ranked 10th among states for grid-scale with 168MW.
The roadmap seeks to provide a comprehensive set of recommendations to expand those programmes cost-effectively by a further 4.7GW to unlock rapid growth of renewable energy, and bolster grid reliability and resilience.
Roadmap details include 3GW of new grid-scale storage, enough to power one million homes for up to four hours.
This capacity will be procured through a new competitive process managed by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (Nyserda), which is overseeing the state’s transmission to zero-carbon electricity.
Recommended deployments also include 1.5GW of new four-hours retail storage and 200MW of new two-hour residential storage. If carried through, the new storage capacity is expected to reduce future electric system costs statewide by nearly $2bn, according to Hochul’s office.
“Expanding energy storage technology is a key component to building New York’s clean energy future and reaching our climate goals,” said Hochul.
“This new framework provides New York with the resources it needs to speed up our transition to a green economy, while ensuring the reliability and resilience of our grid,” she added.
The roadmap drawn up by staff at the regulatory Public Service Commission (PSC) and Nyserda also requires electric utilities to study the potential of “high value” energy storage projects toward providing cost-effective transmission and distribution services not presently available through existing markets.
As of 1 April, New York had awarded about $200m to support 396MW of operating energy storage in the state. There are more than 581MW of additional energy storage under contract with the state and moving towards commercial operation.
New York has one of the most aggressive climate plans through the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which directs the state to generate 70% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and net-zero by 2040. On 1 January last year, this was 29%.
New York has invested more than $28bn in 61 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the State, and $3.3 bn to scale up solar.
Even so, the state is struggling to meet the 2030 climate target given a “wave” of high-profile offshore wind project cancellations, according to New York Solar Energy Industries Association (Nyseia).
“Governor Hochul enacted a 10-point action plan to get utility-scale renewable projects back on track. These utility-scale projects are important, but they are not enough to meet New York’s mandates,” the trade group said Wednesday.