$1M In Funding To Bring Microgrid To Town Of Huntington

The Town of Huntington hopes to be better prepared for a natural disaster like Superstorm Sandy by bringing a microgrid to the community with $1 million in funding from New York State, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday.

Microgrids use renewable energy technologies to provide power backup for homes, businesses, hospitals and other facilities during extreme weather conditions. These microgrids support New York State’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030.

This funding comes from the Town of Huntington and 10 other communities across New York being selected as winners of Stage 2 of the NY Prize Community Microgrid competition.

"One of the lessons we learned from Superstorm Sandy was the importance of ensuring that facilities providing vital services and emergency shelter continue to have power so they can address residents’ health and safety needs,” Huntington Supervisor Frank P. Petrone said in a press release.

The Town of Huntington suffered widespread power outages from storms over the past several years, including a power outage that lasted more than eight days following Sandy.

The Town of Huntington’s proposed microgrid would use a mix of technologies that would bring electricity and thermal energy to the Town Hall, Huntington Hospital, Huntington Wastewater Treatment Plant, Huntington YMCA and Flanagan Senior Center and other locations that are being evaluated.

“This grant takes Huntington one step closer towards ensuring that if another storm like Sandy occurs, we can seamlessly transition into our emergency mode,” Petrone said.

The following communities in New York are receiving $1 million in funding each, $11 million total:

• Capital Region: Empire State Plaza and University Heights
• Central New York: City of Syracuse
• Long Island: Town of Huntington, Rockville Centre and Village of Freeport
• New York City: East Bronx, Clarkson Avenue and Sunnyside Yards
• Southern Tier: City of Binghamton
• Western New York: Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus

The New York Power Authority will work as the Town of Huntington’s energy advisor to help design and plan their microgrid. New York State says NYPA will provide financing directly for projects designated and implemented by the Power Authority.

NYPA President and CEO Gil C. Quiniones, said he is proud to be working with the Town of Huntington. “These microgrid grant funds enable us as a State to move another step closer to our reliable, renewable energy goals,” he said.

Additional microgrid project partners for the The Town of Huntington include TRC Energy Services, National Grid and PSEG Long Island.

Each Stage 2 winner will receive the funding through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, which administers the NY Prize, to conduct detailed engineering designs and business plans for a microgrid in their communities. Winners advancing to Stage 3 of the competition will have access to microgrid construction financing through NY Green Bank, which is needed since community microgrids and clean energy projects are not easily financed through traditional capital providers like banks, NYS says.

Stage 3 winners will receive up to $50 million in financing assistance per project. Those winners will be announced in 2018.

In 2015, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority awarded Stage 1 winners more than $8 million to 83 communities across the state. Nearly 150 communities had applied for the initial stage of the competition.

"It's critical that communities across New York have reliable power to provide vital services when they are needed the most," Cuomo said. "These awards will help local government modernize and harden their power infrastructure, as well as join this administration’s fight against climate change, and create a cleaner, greener, Empire State for all."

Image via Town of Huntington