The New York City Industrial Development Agency (NYCIDA) has given the green light to five battery energy storage system (BESS) projects, with Governor Kathy Hochul announcing groundbreaking on a sixth, combining for a total capacity of around 42.5MW.
Announced by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and NYCIDA, the five BESS projects will be constructed by developer-operators NineDot Energy, Elevate Renewables, and Soltage across Staten Island and Queens. These projects represent approximately 42.5MW of new BESS capacity.
Concurrently, Governor Kathy Hochul revealed that construction has commenced on a 12MW solar carport and 7.5MW BESS unit at JFK airport, spearheaded by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the New York Power Authority.
New York State aims to achieve 6GW of energy storage by 2030, encompassing both grid-scale projects of 5MW or larger, categorized as ‘bulk,’ as well as smaller commercial and industrial (C&I) or community-scale projects below 5MW, termed ‘retail’ energy storage, along with residential installations.
Among the projects approved by NYCIDA are:
Two BESS projects by NineDot Energy, each approximately 4.9MW, totaling 9.8MW with 39.1MWh of energy storage, set for completion by Winter 2025.
Elevate Renewables will deploy a 15.1MW/60.1MWh system at the Athur Kill Generating Station, replacing a 15.1MW gas turbine, with a targeted operation date of December 2025.
Soltage will implement two 5MW/20MWh BESS projects in Queens, scheduled for completion by Summer 2025.
NYCIDA’s support includes discretionary tax benefits to reduce capital costs, aiding over 254MW of BESS projects in the state. Additionally, the projects can benefit from federal investment tax credits (ITCs) for clean energy under the Inflation Reduction Act.
Despite the promising developments, BESS technology in New York faces challenges related to fire safety. Hochul has established a working group to revise the state fire code to address BESS fire risk.
At JFK airport, the Port Authority, in collaboration with the New York Power Authority and TotalEnergies, will construct and operate a solar and storage project. The solar carport will feature 12MW of solar power and 7.5MW of BESS, with further expansion planned to include 6MW of community solar to support the grid operated by Con Edison. Phase one of construction is slated for completion by March 2025.