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What Communities Need to Know About Energy Storage Siting
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As we build clean energy infrastructure and strengthen our grid through new battery energy storage projects,
we need to understand what makes a good project location. Many of us are familiar with the timeline and protections built into the siting process for large-scale solar projects, but we may be less familiar with how decisions are made under the State Environmental
Quality Review Act (SEQRA), which governs BESS. When opponents say, “Not
here!”,
we need to be able to explain why here
is exactly the right location! For a clear, animated explanation, join us Monday,
May 11, from 12 to 1 P.M., with
our special guests, Camille Warner,
senior project manager at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), and
Sarah Crowell,
Senior Advisor, Policy and Communications at the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission (ORES). They will explain the BESS siting process and ORES's role in permitting large-scale generation and transmission projects.
Click the button below to register. Can’t join live? Register
to receive the recording post-event!
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Thousands of Comments Flood the Public Service Commission, but Suspicious Patterns Lead to Concern
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Image credit: Zay Win Htal.
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The
Public
Service Commission is currently collecting public comments on Matter Master Number: 26-00120,
Proceeding
on Motion of the Commission to Address Interconnection Reforms for Large Loads.
The purpose of this case is to ensure that
data
centers pay their fair share and generate their own energy, as Hochul describes in her press release. As environmentalists, we would like to add that only
renewable power generation should be considered. A buildout of fossil-fuel generators producing as much pollution as a city cannot be framed as a solution.
But please
take
a close look at the comment section for this case. There are over 10,000 individual comments. That’s quite anomalous in itself. If you click the tab “Public
Comments” and select a view for 100/page, and scroll through recent pages, you’ll see that nearly all of the comments uniformly address a totally different topic:
“Environmental goals are important, but so is keeping the lights on at a reasonable cost.” “While I support strong climate action, we need a more practical timeline.” “I
support clean energy goals, but we must slow down implementation to protect residents from excessive utility costs.” New comments are added all the time, and the most
recent comments have a different quality, but hundreds of earlier comments all state a false contrast, implying that we must abandon the CLCPA to lower our utility bills. In fact, the CLCPA is not the cause of the recent spike in fossil fuel costs, and the
best way to lower utility costs is to green the grid and revise utility companies' fossil-fuel-driven profit models.
It seems strange that a hearing on data centers would receive an overwhelming number of responses that appear to be AI-generated and are not even about the case under review.
This certainly seems part of a concerted, persistent strategy to undermine the CLCPA at every opportunity.
Offices serving New York State, such as NYSERDA, ORES, and the Department of Public Service (DPS), hold public comment periods to hear
from concerned citizens. How do these offices evaluate the type of comments observed in this case? Please register to attend our webinar on May 11, announced above, and register for our open discussion forum on May 13, announced below,
to learn how ORES uses comments to shape the new Article 8 regulations governing large-scale generation projects in NYS.
We’ll discuss how NYSERDA, ORES, and DPS are responding to the changing landscape of environmental advocacy.
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Utility Bills Too High? Here’s How to Save $2 Billion per Year: Flexible Interconnection!
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Smart metering, flexible interconnection, and virtual power plants (VPPs)
are among the fastest ways utility customers can save on utility costs as New York builds toward
“the grid of the future.”
A smarter grid can help avoid excessive costs associated with infrastructure buildout. Here’s how: A smart grid allows two-way communication between utilities and customers. Smart devices on power lines and at substations allow utilities to manage voltage
levels more efficiently and to quickly pinpoint where an outage or problem is. Smart grids can sometimes fix problems in the electrical distribution system remotely by digitally sending instructions to equipment that can adjust system conditions.
The smart grid also empowers consumers to better monitor and control their energy consumption, particularly
during periods of peak demand. Consumers can use energy management systems (for their appliances, car chargers, and thermostats) to automatically or systematically adjust their energy use to off-peak times or to notify them when incentives are available to
reduce power use. An article
in PV Magazine summarizes a recent
three-part report by the Brattle Group,
showing that flexible interconnection
could save New Yorkers nearly $3 billion annually by 2040.
The New York Solar Energy Industries Association (NYSEIA), the New York Battery Energy and Storage Technology
Consortium (NY-BEST), and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) recently completed a NYSERDA-supported study to evaluate the technical and economic potential of flexible interconnection in New York State. Click the button below to join a
webinar on May 7th at noon
for an overview of the study's key findings regarding the costs, benefits, and implementation considerations for flexible interconnection in New York State.
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An Advocate Speaks Out Against Disinformation
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Credit: AI-generated image of a flaming and exploding solar panel, dreamstime.com
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This week, we’d like to highlight clean energy advocate Lynn Saxton from Warsaw, NY, who published an op-ed in
The Wellsview Sun on April 26, calling out disinformation from a media influencer who has been targeting permitted renewable energy projects, and shining
some light on the funding sources that person receives.
We must note that the editor of
The Wellsview Sun received a call from someone claiming to represent the influencer,
seeking additional information about the author of the op-ed. The editor declined and reiterated that all aspects of the op-ed met editorial guidelines for publication. NYCP honors Lynn Saxton for exercising her First Amendment rights, and we thank
The Wellsview Sun for supporting public debate and freedom of speech.
This influencer has used her non-profit to fundraise to oppose the construction of permitted renewable energy projects across NYS,
and as of April 28, her non-profit has filed a suit against ORES regarding the permitting of the Mill Point Solar I project in the
Town of Glen in Montgomery County, with signals that a series of additional lawsuits against
permitted projects will be filed. Given NYS
law and legal precedent,
the influencer’s case(s) appear to be frivolous. It can be frustrating to see delays and mounting defense costs resulting from social media posturing and “GoFundMe” schemes, especially when an influencer is activating a large base of misinformed followers.
In cases like this, it is especially important to stand up, speak out, and expose the misinformation, motivations, and funding sources. Many thanks again to Lynn Saxton for her advocacy!
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Siting Permits Approved for FIVE New Renewable Energy Projects
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Photo credit: Liberty Renewables.
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In early April, the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission (ORES) issued final siting permits for two renewable energy projects: Agricola Wind, located in Cayuga County,
and Flat Creek Solar, located in Montgomery County. Collectively, these projects will create 210 construction jobs and bring 399 megawatts (MW) of clean, renewable energy to New York's electric grid, powering the equivalent of nearly 55,000 average-sized homes.
On Earth Day, April 22, ORES announced that three additional projects have received siting permits: Altona Wind, located in the Town of Altona in Clinton County; Clinton
Wind, located in the Town of Clinton, also in Clinton County; and Sugar Maple Solar, located in the Towns of Croghan and Wilna, located in Jefferson and Lewis Counties. These projects will create an additional 550 construction jobs and add 343 megawatts (MW)
of power to the grid. Regarding these new projects, New Yorkers for Clean Power Campaign Director Betta Broad said, “This Earth Day, our planet is more in peril than ever before, and it is vital that we forge ahead and continue to make progress on our state’s
climate targets with clean energy investments, like these three renewable projects. Instead of staying locked into polluting and volatile fossil fuel dependence, New York can show that a transition to clean, affordable energy will create jobs, cleaner air,
and healthier communities.”
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Let’s Discuss the
Changing Landscape of
Clean Energy Advocacy
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Join us on
Wednesday, May 13, from 6:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.
for our next Clean Energy Neighbors Discussion forum. We’ll be discussing the changing landscape for clean energy advocacy. Bring your questions, concerns, and tell us about your own experiences. Click the link below to register and receive a Zoom link for
the open discussion.
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Follow us for more updates!
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