By DAVID BERTOLA
dbertola@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1621

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and Public Service Commission announced $150 million is available to fund a broad range of renewable energy generation projects that will reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions and help build a clean-energy economy in New York state.

Supported by the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), the funds will be awarded competitively through a solicitation released Sept. 20 for electric generation projects using wind, hydroelectric, biomass or other clean-energy resources. Awards under this solicitation are expected to be announced in mid-December.

Under the RPS program, NYSERDA has awarded funding on a competitive basis to 51 large-scale renewable electricity generators that are expected to produce enough electricity to provide 5.3 million megawatt-hours of renewable energy per year. That's enough renewable energy to power more than 760,000 homes. The projects include three biomass facilities, eight landfill biogas operations, 23 hydroelectric upgrades and 17 wind farms. 

New York's RPS program has been successful at attracting investments in clean energy and diversifying the in-state resource mix. Wind capacity in operation is nearly 28 times what existed prior to the RPS program, and in 2010 New York was ranked first in the Northeast and eighth nationally in installed wind capacity.

According to a NYSERDA statement, it is estimated the projects in the program will deliver to New York more than $2.1 billion in direct economic benefits over the next 20 years. These benefits will come in the form of long-term and short-term jobs, property tax payments to local towns, schools, and counties, in-state purchases of goods and services, land lease payments to landowners and various other economic benefits.

When the effects induced on the broader economy are considered, the total economic benefits have been estimated at $4.5 billion.

This is the second solicitation for large-scale renewable electricity generation issued by NYSERDA since the commission's RPS funding decision in April 2010. NYSERDA maintains on its website a schedule of future solicitations, which are expected to take place at least twice annually over the next few years.

More information about the Renewable Portfolio Standard program can be found at: http://www.nyserda.org/rps/pastSolicitations.asp