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By: Benyamin Davidsons - August 8, 2022
“Wind farms are beacons of hope that our future energy generation can be cleaner,” said Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment. “Offshore wind technology is not only reliable and clean, it also adds stability to our rate base, something consumers and businesses desperately need.”
New York is gliding towards the state’s clean energy goals, having launched its third round of solicitation for offshore wind projects.
As reported by Crain’s NY, this latest effort aims to secure at least 2,000 megawatts of renewable energy from wind energy, which would be sufficient to power some 1.5 million New York homes. The efforts are part of the first phase of a $500 million investment in offshore wind ports, manufacturing and supply chain infrastructure approved by state lawmakers in April. “We are putting words into action and making it clear that New York state is the national hub of the offshore wind industry,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement. “The clean energy transition is driving significant private investment and family-sustaining jobs in communities across the state, and we are setting ourselves up for success with a brighter and more sustainable future.”
The state’s solicitation, includes a first-of-its-kind state requirement, calling for projects to incorporate a “meshed ready” transmission network. Meaning that companies who apply to fill the project by connecting to shore using transmission cables, will be required to lay the groundwork to eventually connect with a multi-project network. This would potentially increase reliability and reduce gridwide costs. The requirement highlights a key challenge facing offshore wind regarding how to justifiably fund multiple offshore wind projects which are each managed by an array of different developers. Bidding companies don’t need to have a fully meshed network yet, but they are required to prepare for the ability to integrate into a future meshed system. This would work to add flexibility to the offshore grid, and it could save New Yorkers from $55 million to $60 million annually, as per the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Bidders have till Dec. 22nd to submit their proposals.
Fred Zalcman, the director of the New York Offshore Wind Alliance, said the state’s latest requests for bids is “ushering in a new era of growth” for the industry. “[This] front-loads the opportunities for the state to capture new supply-chain opportunities and create good quality, high-paying jobs,” Zalcman said. NYSERDA expects that between 2019 and 2040, there will be somewhere between 18,000 to 23,000 new jobs relating to offshore wind projects in the state.
As per Crain’s, these new offshore wind projects will aim to bring the state closer to realizing the goal of obtaining 70 percent of the state’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030– a goal which was set in the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Meeting the state’s target, would mean producing 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035, powering about 30 percent of the state’s electricity needs. New York is currently on track to meet these goals early and even to exceed them.
“Wind farms are beacons of hope that our future energy generation can be cleaner,” said Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment. “Offshore wind technology is not only reliable and clean, it also adds stability to our rate base, something consumers and businesses desperately need.”
