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Solar PV with Battery Storage for Grid Resilience

Solution Overview

New York City is advancing climate resilience through the integration of solar photovoltaic systems with battery energy storage technologies across critical infrastructure and municipal facilities.[2] This approach enables facilities to maintain operations during grid outages while simultaneously supporting greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and relieving stress on the electric grid from growing power demands.[2] The technology provides backup power during blackouts, brownouts, or storms when electric service is interrupted, while also generating emissions-free energy during normal operations.[4]

Technical Components

The implementation encompasses diverse solar configurations including traditional rooftop installations, solar canopies over parking lots and wastewater processing tanks, ground-mounted systems, and elevated canopy arrays.[6][11] Battery storage systems are wired to power critical functions during outages, including roll-up doors, communication devices, fuel pumps, lighting, and electrical outlets.[4] The NYC Installed Energy Storage Systems map layer provides detailed information on battery chemistry type, system size, location, solar pairing status, installation date, and project developer for permitted and verified systems.[3] NREL utilized the REopt modeling platform to optimally select and size resilient power options, incorporating revenue streams from displacing grid energy purchases, reducing peak demand charges, shifting energy consumption to low-cost periods, and avoiding grid interruption costs.[14] The analysis placed a monetary value on resilience equal to the cost of grid interruptions, modeling a new revenue stream for avoided outage costs.[14]

Implementation Details

Between 2021 and the end of 2023, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services more than doubled solar capacity on City property from 11 MW to over 24 MW.[6] As of 2024, the Clean Energy Program had over 40 MW of solar projects in progress and 30.5 MW of completed installations across 187 facilities.[6] In 2024, DCAS assessed all City-owned buildings larger than 10,000 gross square feet for solar readiness and identified nearly 29 MW of rooftop solar potential.[6] Construction began in fall 2023 to install solar systems at over 60 City-owned buildings in Brooklyn and Queens, adding over 30 MW of solar generating capacity and up to 10 MW of large-scale battery storage through an agreement between the City and the New York Power Authority.[10][12] The Wards Island Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility project represents the City's largest energy storage installation to date, featuring 10 MW of solar capacity and 10 MW of battery storage.[9] This installation, currently in the design phase with construction expected from June through completion in June 2027, will be the largest clean energy installation at a wastewater treatment facility globally, at no upfront capital cost to the City.[9][16] Through the power purchase agreement, NYPA's competitively selected developer Ameresco is responsible for installing, owning, and maintaining assets for 20 years while the City purchases clean power at a fixed rate.[9][16] The joint project between NYPA and DCAS generated more than 25 MW of power from rooftop solar arrays and included up to 6.6 MW of energy storage.[11] Six firehouses now feature rooftop solar systems paired with battery banks that remain charged during outages, selected for upgrade because they had all recently experienced power interruptions.[4] The installation of these firehouse solar systems totaled $2.4 million, funded by DCAS and managed by DCAS and the New York Power Authority.[4] Energy storage projects must obtain permits from the Fire Department of New York and the Department of Buildings and are subject to inspections throughout construction and operational phases.[1] The City is working to streamline the permitting process to reduce project costs and timelines.[1]

Benefits and Impacts

The solar arrays generate more than 25 MW of solar power, enough to power 1,297 NYC residences, and help offset more than 7,100 metric tons of CO2 equivalent annually, equivalent to removing more than 1,553 cars from city streets.[11] The Wards Island project is projected to reduce nearly 4,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to removing close to 860 cars from the road, and will reduce energy usage by nearly 42,000 MMBtu, equivalent to the energy consumption of approximately 3,000 New York City households.[9] By the end of 2025, DCAS installations will provide the annual electricity equivalent of roughly 11,500 NYC homes.[10] Unlike generators, the solar panels with batteries provide quiet and continuous energy regardless of fuel shortages.[4] During normal grid operations, resilient PV systems help host sites generate revenue or reduce electricity bill charges, while during grid outages they provide critical emergency power that can help people in need and ease demand on emergency fuel supplies.[2] Analysis results demonstrated that solar plus storage is economically viable for NYC's critical infrastructure and may be similarly beneficial to other commercial buildings across the city.[2][14] Energy storage can provide backup power during grid outages, which are expected to become more frequent and severe due to climate change, and can stabilize supply during peak electric usage while helping keep critical systems online during outages.[1][5]

Climate Adaptation Relevance

As NYC fortifies its building stock against future storms of increasing severity, resilient PV plays an important role in disaster response and recovery.[2] The technology addresses the growing frequency and severity of grid outages expected from climate change impacts.[1] DCAS is currently planning new future resilient solar PV storage projects with emphasis on prioritizing additional firehouses, police stations, libraries, and other critical facilities to enhance emergency response capabilities.[4]

Business Analysis

The City established a goal of installing 100 MW of solar photovoltaic on City-owned buildings by the end of 2030 and 150 MW by the end of 2035, as set forth by Local Law 99 of 2024.[6] New York City set a target of deploying 1,000 MW of energy storage by 2030.[1] At the state level, New York's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act codified a goal of 1,500 MW of energy storage by 2025 and 3,000 MW by 2030.[5] On June 20, 2024, the New York Public Service Commission approved the Order Establishing Updated Energy Storage Goal and Deployment Policy, formally expanding the State's goal to 6,000 MW of energy storage by 2030.[5] The Order authorized funds for NYSERDA to support 200 MW of new residential-scale solar, 1,500 MW of new commercial and community-scale energy storage, and 3,000 MW of new large-scale storage.[5] The Order specifies that at least 35% of the benefits of these new energy storage projects will accrue to disadvantaged communities in accordance with the Climate Act.[5] Energy storage could employ at least 30,000 New Yorkers by 2030.[5] These projects will reduce projected future statewide electric system costs by nearly $2 billion, in addition to improved public health from reduced exposure to harmful fossil fuel pollutants.[5] There is approximately 2,000 MW of economic potential for rooftop solar in NYC, with the majority on large commercial and industrial buildings that have high electricity rates and large, unshaded rooftops.[7] There is over 11,000 MW of technical potential for rooftop solar in NYC, enough to meet over 20% of the city's annual electricity needs.[7] A typical residential solar system in NYC can cost between $15,000 and $25,000, with a residential solar plus storage system costing an additional $10,000 to $15,000.[7] In a survey of NYC residents conducted for the Roadmap, over 70% of respondents said they would be willing to pay more for a solar plus storage system that could provide backup power during an outage.[7] NYC has some of the most stringent safety codes and standards for energy storage in the world, including requirements for fire detection and suppression, ventilation, and thermal management.[1] On July 28, 2023, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the creation of a new Inter-Agency Fire Safety Working Group to ensure the safety and security of energy storage systems across the state.[5] Residential storage systems can be eligible for Inflation Reduction Act tax credits.[5]

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