Plugged In To Energy & Telecom

Coverage of Energy and Telecommunication News & Policy Across New York State

April 3, 2023

What’s Inside

  • Legislature Passes Budget Extender
  • Definition of Disadvantaged Community Finalized
  • Governor Announces Funding to Expand Broadband Infrastructure in Affordable Housing Developments
  • NYPA Releases Solar Forecasting Report
  • Legislative Update
  • Regulatory Update
  • In The News

Legislature Passes Budget Extender

The Legislature passed a budget extender providing for the continued operation of the State, including payroll obligations for state workers (aside from legislators who go unpaid until a final budget is passed). The extender provides for an additional week of negotiations, ending on April 10. Either another extender or the final budget will need to be in place by the 10th to avoid a State Government shutdown.

Definition of Disadvantaged Community Finalized

The Climate Justice Working Group voted to approve and adopt the final disadvantaged communities criteria during a meeting on March 27. Those communities are mandated to receive at least 35 percent of the benefits of state spending on clean energy and energy efficiency investments. The final report has not yet been made available online, however, it is expected shortly along with a fact sheet on the final criteria and an interactive map.

According to reports, the formula selected by the working group incorporates factors such as income levels, proportion of minority households, exposure to pollution, health outcomes and climate risks such as extreme temperatures and flooding. All told, 35 percent of census tracts with the highest scores based on those factors are set to be designated as disadvantaged communities. Unlike the federal definition of environmental justice areas, New York’s definition will specifically include race as a factor. Health factors like diabetes are said to not be included in the final criteria.

Individual households with annual income at or below 60 percent of the state’s median income are also designated as disadvantaged for the purpose of investments by the state’s clean energy programs.

Governor Announces Funding to Expand Broadband Infrastructure in Affordable Housing Developments

The Governor, joined by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced that New York State will receive $100 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Treasury through the American Rescue Plan to expand high-speed internet. New York estimates this funding will allow them to connect 100,000 homes and families to affordable, high-speed internet across the state.

The new federal investment comes from the $10 billion in the American Rescue Plan’s Capital Projects Fund (CPF), a program designed to address the challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in rural America, Tribal communities, and low- and moderate-income communities. New York’s Affordable Housing Connectivity Program is a competitive grant program designed to fund high-speed, reliable broadband infrastructure to and within low-income housing buildings. CPF funds will be used to upgrade internet access in affordable housing units. The plan approved by the U.S. Treasury represents 29% of the state’s total allocation under the Capital Project Funds program. New York submitted plans for the remainder of their Capital Project Funds and these applications are currently under review by Treasury.

Governor Hochul said:

Affordable, reliable broadband access is essential to connect New Yorkers with work, education, and government services, but still out of reach for far too many families. This critical funding to unlock high-speed internet for thousands of New York renters will build on the success of our ConnectALL broadband initiative while supporting the goals our five-year plan to build and preserve more affordable housing. Thanks to the Biden administration and New York’s Senate and Congressional delegations, New York will continue to lead the nation in bridging the digital divide and making broadband available to all.

NYPA Releases Solar Forecasting Report

NYPA along with its research partners have completed a multi-year study to help New York State’s solar industry deploy weather forecasting technology to better anticipate power generation and improve electric grid reliability. The project addresses challenges raised by the uncertainty related to solar output by offering advanced forecasting methods and making a roadmap to help maintain grid reliability, optimize production of renewables, and reduce operating costs.

The study deployed high-definition digital cameras in sky-imager networks and advanced weather forecasting models focused on solar forecasting, combined with advanced data from the NYS Mesonet, a statewide network of weather stations, and other resources. Advanced predictive methods, along with various hardware and software systems, were developed and evaluated against forecasts currently in use to show the benefits of more detailed models and data.

The study relied on an open-source, gridded solar power forecasting system developed by scientists at NCAR. NYSolarCast makes predictions of global horizontal irradiance (GHI) every 15 minutes for a three-kilometer grid covering all of New York, which are then used to predict solar power generation for both utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) plants and distributed (mostly rooftop) PV installations. NYSolarCast leverages machine learning techniques trained on NCAR-based weather prediction models, NYS Mesonet observations and historical data from PV plants across New York.

The research was funded by NYPA, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), and the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office, and co-managed by EPRI, an independent, non-profit energy R&D institute. Other partners included National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Brookhaven National Lab (BNL) and the State University of New York at Albany. Advisors included the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) and Central Hudson, a New York distribution utility.

Legislative Update

State Assembly Agendas (Bills of Interest)

N/A 

State Senate Agendas (Bills of Interest) 

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Bills Passed Last Week 

Passed Assembly Only:

A.3164 Magnarelli/S.3533 May – Extends provisions of law relating to the New York telecommunications relay service center from June 30, 2024 until June 30, 2027.

A.4587-A Paulin/S.2589-A Comrie – Requires telephone companies to disclose information to subscribers regarding the backup power solution for their voice service equipment.

 

Passed Senate Only:

S.1172 Harckham/A.3592 Pretlow – Relates to funding for emergency management services for certain counties with non-operational nuclear power plants.

S.2994-A Harckham/A.4801 Paulin – Prohibits fuel oil, grade number four in any building or facility in the state after July 1, 2026.

S.3354 Skoufis/A.5618 Zebrowski – Relates to conducting investigations into the administration and enforcement of the New York state uniform fire prevention and building code and the New York state energy conservation construction code by counties.

S.4131 Mannion/No Same As – Authorizes a personal income tax credit for solar energy systems purchased and installed at a residence.

S.4854 Parker/A.6009 Cruz – Requires the New York state energy research and development authority to develop recommendations regarding the establishment of microgrids.

 

Passed Both:

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State Register

Department of Environmental Conservation

Public Service Commission

  • Frequency of Incentive Payments for the Active Managed Charging Program (Proposed)
  • Waiver of Tariff Rules and a Related Commission Regulation (Proposed)
  • Petition to Submeter Electricity (Proposed)
  • Applicable Regulatory Regime Under the Public Service Law for the Owner of an Energy Storage Facility (Proposed)
  • Agreement for the Provision of Water Service and Request for Waivers (Proposed)

In The News

NY Times: In Rare Show of Force, House Democrats Pressure Hochul on Build Public Renewables Act.

Environmentalists Alarmed by Push to ‘Undermine’ New York’s Climate Law.

Buffalo News Editorial Board: Democrats and Republicans, alike, understand the broadband challenge.

Inside the Fossil Fuel Industry’s ‘Existential’ Battle Against New York’s Climate Plan.

New York creates list of ‘disadvantaged communities,’ ruffles feathers in the process.

New York Considers First-in-the-Nation Bill to Charge Fossil Fuel Companies for Climate Change Destruction.

Amid New York climate battle, here’s how opposing natural gas, electric grid plans would affect you.

New York advocates push for two linked climate bills to be in state budget.

Shifting electricity use later in the day will save on Long Island energy bills.

EPA Announces $3 Million For New York To Plan Innovative Climate Projects Across the State.

Here’s where renewable power is increasing (and where it’s not).