Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has announced the availability of $10 million in grants that will seek to improve New York state”™s electric grid. The funding will be awarded to projects that will increase the efficiency of the grid and promote the use of clean energy technologies while reducing energy consumption levels and the cost to consumers.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) will finance the grants through the authority”™s Electric Power Transmission and Distribution Smart Grid Program, which typically offers funding for research, engineering studies, product development and demonstration projects.
“Innovative technology must be considered when looking to develop the grid of the future,” Francis J. Murray Jr., president and CEO of NYSERDA, said in a press release. “Under Governor Cuomo”™s leadership, the state has increased its production of clean energy while at the same time developing a more resilient, stronger and energy efficient grid.”
Each project proposal will be evaluated for funding based on the impact it would have on energy consumption, the environment and economy. The Energy Highway Initiative, which sets the framework for the Smart Grid program, was designed to increase business investments in the state.
The deadlines for submissions for the first and second rounds of funding proposals are Aug. 14 and Feb. 12, 2014, respectively. The willing applicants must help pay for part of the program costs.
NYSERDA has provided a total of $24 million in awards for research, product development and demonstration projects, $31 million in private sector funding and $120 million in federal funding.
