State Energy Agencies Partnering Under PowerUp Long Island to Encourage Residential Solar Installation and Cost-Effective, High-Efficiency Energy Projects

August 22, 2014

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the launch of PowerUp Long Island, a partnership between state energy agencies and local utilities to support further development and deployment of clean and renewable energy sources in the region. This new initiative is designed to advance the region’s significant progress in integrating clean energy technologies to create efficient, reliable and affordable energy systems for Long Island’s communities. PowerUp Long Island will be coordinated by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and New York Power Authority.

“From Superstorm Sandy to last week’s flooding, the importance of a resilient and dependable energy grid on Long Island has been demonstrated time and time again,” Governor Cuomo said. “Through this new partnership between the state and the region’s utilities, we are expanding reliable and efficient energy programs with a focus on clean technology – a strategy that will lead to a stronger and safer system. This is an example of how we are building back better than before, and I look forward to the brighter future that PowerUp Long Island will bring to the region.”

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To date, certain programs under PowerUp Long Island have already been announced, most recently NYSERDA and PSEG Long Island’s collaboration in the new NY-Sun Incentive Program and the launch of On-Bill Recovery and Smart Energy Loans. The On-Bill Recovery program enables qualified residential and small business customers to finance energy improvements including solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and energy efficiency projects through a convenient loan repayment system via the customer’s PSEG Long Island bill. The NY Rising Community Reconstruction Program is working with 42 localities across Long Island to develop strategic plans that identify ways to improve the physical, social, and economic resilience in local communities.

In addition, NYPA and NYSERDA have teamed up to launch K-Solar on Long Island helping school districts across the region with technical and contractual challenges of solar installation to lower their energy costs and ensure their schools are hubs for clean technology. NYPA is organizing a purchase coalition of schools to provide Long Island districts with the benefit of high volume pricing. NYSERDA is helping communities near the schools go solar through education and group-purchasing projects.

Richard Kauffman, Chairman of Energy and Finance for New York, said, “Today, newly available technologies give New York State agencies and utilities opportunities to deploy clean, cost-effective distributed energy solutions to reach the region’s aggressive environmental and economic development goals. Over time, PowerUp Long Island will make certain that any and all new power generation complements the region’s early progress in creating a highly efficient and affordable grid for Long Island residents and communities.”

“Long Island is a center of innovation and investment in clean energy and PowerUp Long Island will continue to drive economic and environmental gains by supporting clean energy technologies in the region,” John B. Rhodes, President of NYSERDA said. “ This new public-private partnership ensures Long Island’s continued leadership, and will help lower utility bills through residential energy efficiency projects, will assist installing solar power, and can serve as a model for the rest of New York.”

“Through the PowerUp Long Island program, New York State is marshalling resources for advancing clean energy solutions and improving the resiliency of the electric power system,” said Gil C. Quiniones, NYPA president and chief executive officer. “The New York Power Authority is supporting this comprehensive program, in partnership with New York energy services companies, to improve energy efficiency and expand clean energy deployment .”

Long Island is far ahead of other parts of New York and much of the United States in its adoption of clean energy solutions by local residences, businesses and institutions. For example, 45 percent of all solar systems in New York State have been installed on Long Island, totaling more than 8,500 customers. PowerUp Long Island will continue the area’s position of leadership by bringing together public and private sector resources to deploy new initiatives and innovative programs as New York transitions its approach to supporting clean energy working with, and through markets.

“We are proud to support the launch of PowerUp Long Island and to contribute to a cleaner and more efficient electric system for our customers,” said David Daly, PSEG Long Island’s president and chief operating officer. “Integrating advanced energy technologies and distributed resources provides our customers across Long Island and in the Rockaways with better choices, cost savings, and a more reliable and resilient system.”

“Our energy efficiency and economic development programs are leading the way in our overall partnership with customers, and our commitment to the communities we serve on Long Island,” said Ken Daly, President of National Grid NY. “We take our role as a community citizen seriously and look forward to strengthening our partnerships to provide energy solutions that help power the Long Island economy, create jobs and contributes to a cleaner, greener environment.”

Through PowerUp Long Island, the State agencies are committing to develop innovative and clean energy solutions, working closely with the energy services companies on Long Island, by using long-term planning and targeted investments to provide Long Island consumers with leading-edge clean energy systems.

In addition to the projects noted above, SUNY’s Stony Brook University and NYPA are partnering on a new approach to energy performance contracting that leverages private sector expertise and public sector credit ratings. Stony Brook has contracted with a private energy service company to execute an $11.4 million energy performance contract that includes a variety of energy efficiency upgrades, while NYPA is providing financing in support of the project.

NYPA has provided financing for energy efficiency projects at thousands of public facilities throughout the state over more than two and a half decades. Its support of the energy performance contract at Stony Brook corresponds with a flexible approach to becoming a true market-maker for energy efficiency.

Through this arrangement, Stony Brook will receive top-grade private sector expertise combined with low-cost financing that NYPA’s excellent credit rating provides.

Additionally, in January, PSEG Long Island took over all operations for LIPA in a restructuring orchestrated by New York State in 2013. As part of the LIPA restructuring, PSEG Long Island will assume LIPA’s operations and take over the administration and management of LIPA’s power supply activities for Long Island customers in 2015. The agreement also called for PSEG Long Island to propose a forward-looking Utility 2.0 Plan to lay out a new strategic approach for targeted investing and programmatic solutions to improve Long Island’s energy system. That plan was introduced in July. The initiative, which is now undergoing public review and comment, focuses on customer bill reduction, consumer choice and more resilient energy systems through the adoption of distributed energy solutions and reducing peak load.

To date, National Grid and PSEG Long Island have collaborated to assist 186 educational facilities and 50 State facilities in Nassau and Suffolk County with energy efficiency projects since 2012 resulting in an energy savings of over 2 million therms and $3 million saved on energy bills.

With the PowerUp Long Island initiative, New York’s role as a leader and first mover in shaping the future of energy remains firmly in place. By developing innovative market solutions, the State is delivering on Governor Cuomo’s commitment to transform the energy industry into a more resilient, clean, cost-effective and dynamic system. Working with State, citizen and industry-stakeholders, New York’s energy policy is moving to a more market-based, decentralized approach. This means protecting the environment, decreasing energy costs, and creating opportunities for economic growth for current and future generations of New Yorkers. In advancing these new energy systems and solutions, New Yorkers will have improved energy affordability and efficiency without sacrificing their right to live in a cleaner, resilient and more sustainable environment.

Meanwhile, as part of the PowerUp Long Island initiative announced today, the State agencies and their utility partners are already coordinating and actively working on a number of projects and proposals across Long Island making progress on these efforts to create an efficient clean energy system, deploy distributed resources and manage demand across Long Island. More information on this progress through the first half of 2014 can be found here.

PowerUp Long Island will further the progress already made to ensure Long Island is at the forefront of deploying clean energy solutions across the region.

Source: New York State Energy Research and Development Authority