New York Awards $24 Million for Diverse Clean Energy Innovation Projects

New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Oct. 3 announced more than $24 million in funding for 26 innovative clean energy projects as part of New York’s Innovation Program. The awarded projects cover multiple niches in clean energy, such as geothermal, clean hydrogen, grid modernization, and long-duration energy storage, expanding the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) portfolio of over 200 initiatives. The funding for the selected projects comes from New York’s $6 billion Clean Energy Fund.

The focus areas of the funding are: Renewable Optimization and Energy Storage Innovation; Hydrogen and Clean Fuels; Grid Modernization; Advanced Buildings; and Commercialization.

The funding includes $2.4 million for four projects under Renewable Optimization and Energy Storage Innovation, focusing on advancing long-duration energy storage (LDES) technologies to support renewable energy integration and grid reliability. These include 3D-printed concrete subsea LDES, developing and operating a battery energy storage system using zinc-manganese dioxide batteries, and developing electrolyte additives for zinc-air batteries.

The Hydrogen and Clean Fuels category secured the highest funding at $8.1 million for eight projects. Key initiatives include scaling up electrolysis technologies, a pilot-scale clean hydrogen production facility, and a hydrogen-based generation system to support a community-scale microgrid and electric city bus charging.

Grid Modernization projects secured $7.3 million for eleven projects. Chosen projects cover grid efficiency, grid management, and integration, and improving distributed energy resource coordination.

Under the Advanced Buildings category, two projects secured $1.8 million in funding. Projects cover technologies such as: improving the efficiency of heating and cooling systems, novel insulation products, and renewable energy integration.

Lastly, one project secured $4.5 million through the Commercialization Program to provide advisory services to startups in the climate technology sector.

This significant investment underscores New York’s ongoing efforts to promote clean energy technologies and drive the state toward a sustainable energy future. Energy storage technologies are essential for New York’s renewable energy transition, enhancing the stability and resilience of the power supply. The state aims for 6 gigawatts of energy storage by 2030 to support its goal of 100 percent zero-emission electricity by 2040. The state also recognizes hydrogen’s role in decarbonizing hard-to-electrify sectors, such as industrial sectors and medium and heavy-duty transportation. Upgrading the power grid and investing in building decarbonization are also critical, with investments totaling $6.8 billion thus far to reduce carbon emissions from the state’s buildings.