NYSERDA Announces $15 Million for Fifth Round of Commercial and Industrial Carbon Challenge
June 5, 2023 -- The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced the fifth round of the Commercial and Industrial (C&I) Carbon Challenge, making $15 million available as part of Round XIII of Governor Kathy Hochul's Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) initiative announced on May 15. The C&I Carbon Challenge will help reduce carbon emissions at commercial and industrial businesses and institutions, combat climate change, and drive economic growth across the state. This week's announcement supports New York's nation-leading Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 85 percent by 2050.
Doreen M. Harris, President and CEO, NYSERDA said, 'The launch of the C&I Carbon Challenge, now in its fifth year, demonstrates Governor Hochul's commitment to reducing emissions in the state's building stock while driving economic growth. This funding will allow more commercial and industrial owners across the state to adopt clean energy measures that will help them to realize cost-savings while reducing harmful emissions from their operations that will improve the air quality in their communities.'
The C&I Carbon Challenge is a competitive program that provides funding to large energy users to implement cost-effective clean energy projects that reduce carbon emissions and is available to eligible businesses and institutions including but not limited to manufacturers, colleges, universities, health care facilities, and office building owners in New York State. Project proposals may employ a combination of energy or manufacturing process efficiency strategies, carbon capture technology, renewable generation, or energy storage. A variety of projects that reduce emissions are eligible, with a focus on those that electrify buildings or manufacturing equipment, capture greenhouse gas emissions, reduce industrial thermal process emissions, and/or make operational and technical changes that reduce industrial process emissions.
Ian Wells, Industrial Decarbonization Advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) said, 'To meet our climate goals, we must start to deploy advanced technologies that have the potential to deeply cut or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from the industrial sector now. Many of these technologies are new, and we need smart policies like the Commercial & Industrial Carbon Challenge program to reduce the risk of early-stage deployments and catalyze private sector investment.
The C&I Carbon Challenge will provide awards ranging from $500,000 to $5 million to partially offset clean energy project costs for the largest commercial and industrial energy users in the state, with an aggregate 12-month average demand of 3-megawatts or greater. The deadline to apply through the State's Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) is July 28th, 2023 at 4:00 p.m.
Awardees are selected based on their plans for project implementation, institutional commitment to sustainability, overall level of greenhouse gas emissions reduced, and their potential to beneficially impact disadvantaged communities. NYSERDA's scoring criteria provides points for greenhouse gas emission reductions that occur in designated disadvantaged communities and/or deliver benefits in such communities. Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) will review projects and provide scores that reflect how well a project aligns with a region's goals and strategies.
The REDC process continues to support and empower regional stakeholders in developing strategic plans which emphasize each region's unique assets and provide strategies to harness local resources to stimulate regional economic development and create jobs statewide. To date, through the REDC Initiative, more than $7.7 billion has been awarded to more than 9,500 job creation and community development projects consistent with each region's strategic plan. Since its inception, the C&I Carbon Challenge has made 15 awards to companies and higher education institutions that will cumulatively reduce 2.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, equal to 12 months of annual tailpipe emissions of 580,00 cars. NYSERDA expects to announce the fifth-round awards in late 2023.
Buildings account for 30 percent of the energy-related greenhouse gas emissions in New York State. NYSERDA's initiatives and programs can benefit most businesses and organizations across the State, but large energy consumers have unique needs and solutions when it comes to increasing efficiency and lowering emissions. Building on New York State's support for private sector solutions to lower the cost of clean energy, the C&I Carbon Challenge gives large energy consumers the flexibility to tap into their in-house expertise to reduce their carbon footprint and control their energy costs. Furthermore, this program is well-aligned with the recommendations produced by the Energy Intensive and Trade Exposed Industries (EITE) Advisory Panel and submitted to the Climate Action Council, a proactive step to support early action to decarbonize by large energy users.
Funding is available through the State's 10-year, $6 billion Clean Energy Fund.
Source: New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
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