New York Prize Awards Funding to CHA Projects in Albany & Syracuse

Posted April 27, 2017

CHA, with several local community partners, has been awarded funding from The NY Prize Community Microgrid competition for projects in Albany and Syracuse.  These microgrid projects each will receive $1 million in funding through Stage 2 of the competition. Administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, with support from the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery, the competition competitively selects communities to fund the study, design, installation, and operation of community microgrids. 

These small-sized energy networks are a key part of New York State’s latest efforts to generate clean energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Using interconnected loads and distributed energy resources, microgrids can operate independently from the grid, enabling them to provide backup power during emergencies. Their usage also increases efficiency and reliability, lowers fuel usage, reduces carbon emissions, and ultimately generates cost savings.

CHA will have a pivotal role in engineering the Syracuse Microgrid, the only NY Prize Stage 2 winner to rely on waste-to-energy generation as its primary asset. Leveraging one of the region’s largest distributed energy resources, Onondaga County Resource Recovery Authority’s 39.6 MW waste-to-energy facility, the project significantly enhances the quality, reliability and resiliency of grid and distributed electricity services while keeping capital costs extremely low. The Syracuse Microgrid will meet the electrical demand of more than 600 National Grid commercial customers and about 1,700 residential homes.

CHA will also assist in the augmentation of a steam plant with a combined heat and power system near the Empire State Plaza in the Capital District. The project aims to fulfill the plaza’s heating and electric energy demands and provide electricity to the Times Union Center, city hall, the courthouse, and the new Albany Capital Center.

For a full list of project descriptions and more information about NY Prize, please visit https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/ny-prize.