ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) today took another step toward meeting New York’s target of 1,500 megawatts (MW) of energy storage by 2025 by accepting the environmental review of policy options to implement New York’s Energy Storage Roadmap as complete.

In June, New York released the state's comprehensive Energy Storage Roadmap to guide New York toward its nation-leading energy storage target. The Roadmap is designed to jump start the development of this clean energy technology, while supporting the energy storage target of 1,500 MW by 2025—the equivalent electricity demand of one-fifth of all New York homes. The comprehensive plan is also a vital component of the Reforming the Energy Vision strategy to build a clean, resilient, and affordable energy system for all New Yorkers to combat climate change.

“Energy storage is not only crucial to achieving our goal of 50 percent renewable energy by 2030, it will improve the resiliency of the grid as we face extreme weather events and other emergency situations,” said Commission Chair John B. Rhodes. “With this step, we continue to advance the deployment of energy storage, in line with the target of 1,500 MW deployed by 2025.”

The Roadmap, filed with the Commission on June 21, 2018 by the Department of Public Service (DPS) and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and outlines the market-supported policy, regulatory, and programmatic actions necessary to achieve the State’s near-term energy storage installment goals, and recommendations for the Commission to consider when designing the energy storage deployment program. The Roadmap specifically supports the State’s initiative to deploy 1,500 megawatts (MW) of energy storage by 2025 and a secondary energy storage deployment target for 2030 pursuant to State law.

In its decision today, the Commission, as part of a mandatory environmental review in compliance with the State Environmental Quality Review Act, found a number of positive environmental impacts associated with the development of the Roadmap due to reductions in peak load demand during critical periods, increases in the overall efficiency of the grid, and/or displacement of fossil fuel-based generation (e.g., by allowing greater integration of renewable energy resources). Such outcomes will lead to an array of positive public outcomes, including economic, health and environmental benefits. Likewise, the review found that adverse direct environmental impacts of the Roadmap are likely to be minimal and a variety of mitigation measures exist to minimize such impacts.

Specifically, these benefits may include:

• Creation of approximately 30,000 jobs associated with energy storage research and development, development, manufacturing, installation and other support services;
• Mitigation of the impacts of climate change from approximately 2 million metric tons of avoided greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; and
• Improvement in public health from avoided emissions of criteria air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx) and particulate matter (PM2.5). To the extent that these avoided air emissions occur from the displacement of peaker plants located in Potential Environmental Justice Areas (PEJAs), the associated benefits may accrue to these vulnerable communities.