More Renewables in NYS

Projects will leverage nearly $1 billion in private investment and add enough electricity to power more than 110,000 homes. NYS’ 50% renewable by 2030 goal is getting ever-closer.

Hecate Energy is developing a 20 MW solar PV project in Greene County, NY. Photo: Hecate Energy.

On January 12, 2017, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced $360 million in awards for 11 large-scale renewable energy projects throughout the state in his State of the State address. These projects provide strong support for the Clean Energy Standard that requires that 50% of New York’s electricity will come from renewable energy sources by 2030.

The awards will leverage almost $1 billion in private sector investment for clean technology projects such as wind, solar, fuel cell and hydroelectric installations. The projects are expected to generate enough clean, renewable energy to power more than 110,000 homes each year and reduce carbon emissions by more than 420,000 metric tons, equivalent to taking more than 88,000 cars off the road.

The 11 projects include two wind farms, one utility-scale solar farm, seven hydro projects, and one fuel-cell project, reflecting the strength and diversity of New York’s clean economy under the Governor’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) strategy. Once operational, these projects will add over 260 megawatts of clean, renewable energy for use in New York State.

Due to the robust response to the solicitation and the approval of the Clean Energy Standard, which calls for the development of renewable and clean energy sources under REV, the amount of the solicitation was increased $210 million, from $150 million to $360 million.

The 11 large-scale renewable energy projects include:

Capital Region

• Hecate Energy Greene County, Greene County: Hecate Energy LLC will build a 50 MW solar facility in Coxsackie.

Central New York

• Fulton Unit 1, Oswego County: Brookfield Renewable Energy Group, will install a new 890 kW high-flow turbine-generator at a hydroelectric facility in Oswego County.
• North Division Street Dam Hydroelectric Facility, Cayuga County: The City of Auburn will upgrade equipment, increase capacity and restore operation of the hydroelectric facility, resulting in a new capacity of 1.12 MW.

Mid-Hudson

• Swinging Bridge, Sullivan County: Eagle Creek Hydro Power LLC will add 0.85 MW to an existing hydroelectric facility in the town of Lumberland, resulting in a total installed capacity of more than 7 MW.
• Regen DG Project, Westchester County: Bloom Energy Corporation will install a 1.05 MW fuel cell at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Incorporated in Tarrytown.

Mohawk Valley

• Belfort Unit 3, Herkimer County: Brookfield Energy Marketing LP upgraded its existing facility in Beaver River with two modern high-efficiency runners, resulting in a total installed capacity of 2.4 MW.

North Country

• Number Three Wind Farm, Lewis County: Invenergy Wind Development LLC will build a 105.8 MW wind farm in the towns of Lowville, Harrisburg and Denmark.
• Glen Park, Jefferson County: Northbrook New York LLC, a subsidiary of Cube Hydro Partners, LLC: Upgraded equipment at existing hydroelectric facility, resulting in a total installed capacity of more than 32 MW.
• Tannery Island Hydro, Jefferson County: Ampersand Tannery Island Hydro LLC installed and upgraded new equipment resulting in a total installed capacity of more than 1.8 MW.

Southern Tier

• Eight Point Wind Energy Center, Steuben County: NextEra Energy Resources LLC will build a 101.2 MW wind farm in the towns of Greenwood, Troupsburg and West Union.

Western New York

• Burt Dam Incremental Hydro, Niagara County: Ampersand Olcott Harbor Hydro LLC recently upgraded equipment resulting in a total installed capacity of 600 kW.

Support for these new projects is being provided by NYSERDA. The weighted average award price for this solicitation is $24.24 per MWh of production over the 20-year terms of the awarded contracts. NYSERDA’s previous ten Main Tier solicitations for large-scale renewables have resulted in approximately 2,152 MW of new renewable capacity at 70 locations throughout the state, generating more than five million MWh of renewable energy every year. The power generated from these 70 projects is expected to provide enough clean power to supply over 825,000 homes per year, representing a total of $1.24 billion in investments in the Main Tier program.

Learn more about Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) at www.ny.gov/REV4NY. For more about NYSERDA’s programs, visit nyserda.ny.gov.