New York Awards $16.6 Million For Long-Duration Storage Projects

September 8, 2022

by Peter Maloney
APPA News
September 8, 2022

New York recently announced $16.6 million in awards for five long duration energy storage projects, as well as $17 million in competitive funding available for projects that advance development and demonstration of scalable long duration energy storage technologies, including hydrogen.

The five long duration projects awards are going to:

• Borrego Solar Systems — $2.7 million to develop, design and build two stand-alone energy storage systems and perform field demonstrations of a six-hour zinc hybrid cathode energy storage system in New York City to help demonstrate that zinc hybrid technology is economically competitive with lithium-ion;
• JC Solutions (dba RCAM Technologies) — $1.2 million to develop a 3D concrete printed marine pumped hydroelectric storage system that integrates with offshore wind development;
• Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station — $12.5 million to demonstrate nuclear-hydrogen fueled peak power generation paired with a long duration hydrogen energy storage unit;
• Power to Hydrogen – $100,000 to develop a reversible fuel cell system for hydrogen production and energy storage called the Clean Energy Bridge that aims to help facilitate the system’s readiness for demonstration and commercial adoption; and
• Roccera — $100,000 to evaluate and demonstrate a commercially viable solid oxide electrolyzer cell prototype for clean hydrogen production with a corresponding scalable, more efficient manufacturing process.

The additional $17 million in funding is targeted at the development and demonstration of energy storage projects that are 10 to over 100 hours in duration at rated power.

Parties submitting bids for the awards, which is being administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), must only include innovative, long duration energy storage technologies that are not yet commercialized. NYSERDA will make awards in the following project categories: product development, demonstration projects, and federal cost-share projects.

The state agency said submissions should advance, develop or field-test hydrogen, electric, chemical, mechanical or thermal-electric storage technologies that will address cost, performance, siting and renewable integration challenges, such as grid congestion, hosting capacity constraints, and lithium-ion siting in New York City. The deadline for proposals is Oct. 17, 2022.

Fire Department regulations make siting lithium-ion batteries difficult in New York City.

This type of funding support is critical to ensuring that stored renewable energy from solar or wind is available for long periods of time and can be utilized to ensure a reliable grid of the future.” Doreen Harris, president and CEO of NYSERDA and co-chair of the Climate Action Council, said in a statement.

The projects are intended to support New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which aims to install 3,000 megawatts (MW) of energy storage by 2030 while facilitating further development to 6,000 MW of energy storage.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has directed NYSERDA and the departments of Public Service and the Environmental Conservation with developing a regulatory clean hydrogen framework to measure emissions reductions and health benefits. Those efforts also include a clean hydrogen demonstration project for district heating and cooling, a Clean Hydrogen Prize Program to support   clean hydrogen firms seeking to expand in the state, and the release of $27 million in NYSERDA Hydrogen Innovation funding to support product development and pilot and demonstrations projects,

Earlier this month, Maine and Rhode Island joined a New York-led multi-state clean hydrogen hub, expanding membership to include six states in the New England-MidAtlantic region.