Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has announced the third annual solicitation for large-scale renewable energy projects under the state's Clean Energy Standard. The solicitation is expected to support approximately 1.5 million megawatt-hours of renewable electricity per year, enough to power over 200,000 homes, and will accelerate New York's transition to a clean energy economy. The solicitation is also expected to spur over one billion dollars in private investment, creating over 1,000 good-paying jobs for New Yorkers. [Today's] announcement advances progress toward New York's proposed nation-leading commitment to secure 70 percent of the state's electricity from renewable resources by 2030 under Governor Cuomo's Green New Deal.
"For the third year in a row, New York is continuing to lead by example when it comes to advancing large-scale renewable energy projects that will bring significant economic growth and good-paying jobs to the state," Governor Cuomo said. "This action builds on our strong commitment to renewable energy and will be a critical part of the state's bold plan to meet the unprecedented challenges posed by climate change."
"We are committed to supporting renewable energy projects across the state as part of our aggressive clean energy goals," said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. "This solicitation for large-scale projects continues our efforts to power more homes and create more good paying jobs. New York continues to lead the nation to protect our environment and combat climate change for future generations."
The state is issuing this solicitation as the third in a series of annual procurements under the Clean Energy Standard and is expected to result in the development of dozens of large-scale renewable projects. In the last two years alone, New York has awarded $2.9 billion in contracts to 46 land-based wind and solar projects, creating $7 billion in direct investment in the clean energy sector. These projects will generate over 7.1 million megawatt-hours each year – enough renewable energy to power nearly one million homes – with recently awarded bid prices 23 percent lower than those awarded just two years ago.
Community engagement and on-the-ground support is crucial for the successful development of renewable energy projects, and the solicitation released includes important standards and requirements for effective community outreach and planning. Notable provisions in this solicitation also include:
Requiring that workers associated with the construction of any awarded facility be paid the applicable prevailing wage, a standard set by the New York State Department of Labor, ensuring that the projects will result in quality, good-paying jobs for New Yorkers;
Preserving and protecting New York's valuable agricultural resources by providing bonus points for renewable energy projects that avoid overlap with land of agricultural importance to New York State; and Continuing to encourage proposals that cost-effectively pair renewable energy with advanced energy storage technologies to help meet Governor Cuomo's commitments to deploy 1,500 megawatts of energy storage by 2025 and 3,000 megawatts by 2030.
To learn more about the large-scale renewable solicitation, please visit NYSERDA's website. Initial submissions are due by June 13, 2019.
