August
2018 



Resources

See all the guides, documents, roadmaps and webinars that can help New Yorkers  install solar and solar+storage under Resources on the NY Solar Map and Portal.

Additionally, you can find solar+storage resources on the  NYSERDA Energy Storage website and the  DER Integrated Data System.


 

 
 Need a pathway to storage for your NY Town, Village or City? 


 



Find your solar potential at nysolarmap.com
SMART DG HUB:  INTEGRATING STORAGE INTO THE MARKETPLACE
Sustainable CUNY's Smart DG Hub convened three webinars and a full day workshop in August aimed at streamlining the implementation of UL 9540A, a testing methodology for battery storage systems. This work is part of a  New York State effort to 'Reduce Distributed Energy Storage Soft Costs' supported by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a private sector company with wide reach in safety standards, recently released the 9540A battery testing methodology, which will be a key element for ensuring safe and high-quality installations in NYC.  View the Webinars Join the Smart DG Hub Roundtable by sending an email to [email protected].
SOLAR RFP ISSUED FOR JAVITS CENTER
The New York Power Authority (NYPA) is seeking proposals from developers for the installation of up to 1.4 MW of solar on the rooftop and sidewalk of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan. NYPA issued an RFP on August 17 to select a firm that will design, install and own the solar array, selling the electricity to the Javits Center under a Power Purchase Agreement. NYPA estimates that more than 4,000 solar panels can be installed on the Center's 6.75 acre roof, with additional panels on a street-level array that would be built along 11th Avenue.
JULY POLL RESULTS, AUGUST QUESTION
The July Newsletter poll asked the question: "How do we increase the adoption of Community Shared Solar (CSS) ?"  43% of respondents favored ' Creative uses of CSS in multi-family buildings (i.e. on-site CSS, portfolio crediting, hosting CSS', while 39% suggested 'Partnerships (i.e. Community Based orgs) to decrease costs and increase cost-efficiency' . The remainder selected 'Increased buy-in from City + State (i.e. providing rooftops a la Pace Financing, Solar For All )'. The August poll asks the question: "For Jobs - How can we harness the opportunity that solar provides to expand access to good jobs and bring people into the middle class?" To see the solutions proposed by participants at the NY Solar+Storage Summit and vote for your favorite, go to https://www.sli.do/. You don't have to sign up -- just scroll down and enter the room code: ESSVote. The poll will remain open until September 20th, and the results will be published in the September Newsletter.
SOLARIZE NEHEMIAH: EAST NEW YORK ISSUES RFP
Developers have until September 10th to submit proposals for the Solarize Nehemiah: East New York campaign. Nehemiah Economic Development, Inc. issued an RFP on August 14 for the community-based group purchasing initiative and conducted a webinar on August 21 to review the details of the document. The Solarize Nehemiah: East New York campaign is supported by the NYC Solar Partnership , led by Sustainable CUNY with the NYC Mayor's Office of Sustainability and the NYC Economic Development Commission.
NEW TOOLKIT AIDS MUNIS ON LANDFILL, BROWNFIELD SOLAR SITES
Municipalities in New York State now have a new toolkit to assist them in developing solar projects on underutilized sites such as landfills and brownfields. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has just added a "Municipal Solar Procurement Toolkit" to its New York Solar Guidebook that offers guidance and resources to cities and towns that are interested in converting non-productive land into productive solar facilities. The toolkit includes an overview guide on municipal procurement and templates that can be used to create RFPs and land-lease agreements. NYSERDA also offers free technical assistance to municipalities in implementing the policies and practices that will allow them to become solar-ready communities.
COMMUNITY SOLAR BY THE NUMBERS
There are currently 19 Community Shared Solar (CSS) projects in New York State with a combined capacity of 10.13 MW of solar. The bigger news is the 320 CSS projects in the pipeline that will total over 710 MW of solar energy. In New York City, there are 28 projects nearly completed or in the queue; 17 are located in the Bronx, eight in Brooklyn and two in Queens with one in Staten Island set to come on line shortly. Follow these links to learn more about Community Solar in NYS, and   Shared Solar in NYC including NYCHA's pioneering project: ACCESSolar.   
NY SOLAR ANALYTICS
NYSolar Smart Partner Jurisdiction
Solar Snapshot
White Plains
 

FROM THE DIRECTOR
  A few storage companies have been in the mainstream news quite a bit lately. However, if you Google 'top energy storage providers' you may be surprised to find how many energy storage companies there are in the U.S. No longer an industry on the cusp, global lithium-ion battery deployments alone over the next five years are projected to grow by 55 percent annually according to GTM Research. As the efficiency of the battery packs improve and the costs come down, the industry is increasingly turning its focus to integrating into the marketplace, particularly NYC, the largest market in the country. Streamlining this path, as noted above, has become some of Sustainable CUNY's most important work as it has the ability to impact our future- and collaboration is the key. Our ombudsmen are providing technical assistance to municipalities and developers every day. You can reach us at [email protected]

Tria Case, Esq.
University Director of Sustainability and Energy Conservation
Founder: NYSolar Smart and DG Hub 
NYSolar Smart is a strategic effort led by Sustainable CUNY of the City University of New York that supports Federal, State and NYC solar initiatives to strategically remove barriers to large scale solar deployment.