Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF, WE - Sag Harbor) today announced that New York State is making $40 million available in early November to support solar projects that integrate energy storage. As the State adds more renewable energy to the grid, storage will play a larger role in improving the efficiency and reliability of the grid for all New Yorkers.

These funds will accelerate the deployment of at least 50 megawatts of energy storage paired with solar, and reduce barriers relating to customer acquisition, siting, and interconnection to better distribute clean energy technology. They will also be the first storage incentive funds made available since June. By offering the commercial and industrial sectors a new incentive for solar-plus-storage projects, the storage components will ensure that renewable energy is moved to times of highest customer usage, such as afternoon hours on summer days.

Solar-plus-storage helps reduce consumer energy bills and improves the value of renewable energy to the grid. Further, paired solar and storage systems can provide consumers with lower costs by taking advantage of expiring federal tax credits, combining the permitting and interconnection processes and using less space by co-locating on the same sites.

This new funding incentive advances New York’s energy storage target of 1,500-megawatts by 2025. It also accelerates the State’s goal to have 50% of its electricity drawn from renewable sources by 2030. These efforts will help combat climate change, reduce emissions and build a more environmentally-friendly, resilient and affordable energy system.