The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) on Dec. 13 said that it has signed a contract with Lincoln Park DG LLC to build a 20-megawatt storage project in the Town of Ulster, replacing previously planned projects that would have used fossil fuels to generate power for the local community.
The project is expected to be completed in early 2021 and supports New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s storage deployment target of 3,000-MW by 2030, NYSERDA noted.
Lincoln Park DG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of GlidePath Power Solutions.
Located at the Lincoln Park Grid Support Center, NYSERDA noted that when the project was originally proposed in 2018, the facility design included a natural gas-powered peaking plant, which raised concerns in the community.
As a result, GlidePath changed direction by announcing plans to install a battery at the site. To support the new plan, GlidePath received approval for $8.8 million from NYSERDA’s Market Acceleration Bridge Incentive Program, which provides incentives for bulk and retail storage projects.
NYSERDA’s Market Acceleration Bridge Incentive Program is part of a $405 million energy storage investment to help accelerate industry growth and drive down energy storage deployment costs to build a sustainable and affordable market.
It is complemented by a $250 million commitment that the New York Power Authority made last December to accelerate the flexibility of the electric grid by collaborating on grid-scale energy storage projects and addressing market and financing barriers.
Now that the Lincoln Park contract is executed, the project moves into the design and study phase, which could take up to one year, and then it will be built. Once it is operating, the four-hour battery system will help relieve grid constraints by storing cleaner generation and releasing it during peak demand hours, NYSERDA noted.
In September, NYSERDA announced the completion of the state’s largest battery installation, just north of Albany. The 20-MW system by Key Capture Energy will help balance electric load and generation by storing and discharging power based upon the changing needs of the grid.
Earlier this year, Cuomo signed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which codified the state’s 3,000-MW energy storage target.
NYPA moves forward with large-scale storage project
In July, NYPA said it was moving ahead with its first large-scale energy storage project, establishing a 20-MW demonstration facility adjacent to an existing substation in Northern New York.
In June, NYPA said that it was partnering with Westchester County, N.Y. to develop and implement solar photovoltaic and energy storage systems at seven county-owned properties. Those properties include bus garages, the Westchester County Courthouse and Hilltop Hanover Farm, NYPA noted.
Enel unit details largest New York City storage system
Meanwhile, a unit of Enel Group recently offered details on the largest battery storage system in New York City, which it developed in partnership with Related Companies, a New York real estate firm.
Enel X, the Italian energy company’s advanced energy services business unit, installed the 4.8 MW, 16.4 MWh battery in June at Related Companies’ Gateway Center in the East New York neighborhood of New York City borough of Brooklyn. The front-of-the-meter battery storage system sells power to New York utility Consolidated Edison during times of peak demand. To date, the Gateway battery has delivered over 100 MWh of energy to the local grid during periods of peak demand.
While the Gateway project is for now the largest battery storage project in New York City, it is soon to be eclipsed. In October, the New York Public Service Commission approved LS Power's proposed 316-MW battery energy storage project at the Ravenswood power plant in Long Island City in the borough of Queens. The battery system will be capable of supplying power for up to eight hours.
