Funds for Energy Storage Using Fire-Safe Battery Technology

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that New York State will receive U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funding for a long-duration energy storage demonstration project that will use fire-safe battery technology. The technology can be used in urban and rural settings to demonstrate a stable energy supply during periods of high demand and in extreme weather conditions. Today's announcement supports the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goals and marks progress to achieve a nation-leading six gigawatts of energy storage by 2030.

“Energy storage that ensures a safe and reliable power supply is critical to New York’s clean energy future,” Governor Hochul said. “By supporting leading-edge projects—such as these installations that provide extended storage duration—we will validate new technologies and illustrate how grid storage can be safely and effectively integrated into communities throughout the state.”

The project will be developed by the New York Power Authority (NYPA), Rockland County-based Urban Electric Power (UEP) and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) with an installation at Westchester County’s Grasslands Reservation in Valhalla and another at the State University of New York’s (SUNY) Oneonta campus.

The project has been selected to receive funding by the DOE with the intent to catalyze impactful long-duration energy storage (LDES) demonstration projects capable of delivering electricity for 10-24 hours, surpassing the conventional short-duration systems that lithium-ion can typically support. The funding award of more than $6.5 million will cover half of the $13.1 million project cost and was made possible through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The Power Authority, the nation’s largest state utility, has demonstrated expertise in clean energy technologies and will be partnering with UEP, a battery manufacturer based in Pearl River, to help LDES systems overcome the technical and institutional barriers to achieve wider adoption. EPRI, an independent, non-profit energy research and development (R&D) organization, is providing technical and industry expertise and guidance on technology readiness, safety assessment, test protocol development, techno-economic analysis, operations plan, and the community benefits plan.

New York Power Authority President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll said, “The Power Authority is invested in pursuing the development of the technology needed that will support the integration of renewable generation while also ensuring that power is available during peak demand periods. This cutting-edge, long-duration energy storage project seeks to demonstrate a safer clean energy technology, illustrating New York State’s leadership in accelerating the transition to renewable resources and validating the use of these systems in meeting customer needs and commercial viability.”

Urban Electric Power CEO Sanjoy Banerjee said, “It's an honor to provide the energy storage solution for these groundbreaking projects. As the demand for long duration energy storage grows, UEP's innovative zinc-manganese technology stands out as a cost-effective and safe alternative. These projects are set to enhance the resilience of New York's electrical grid and demonstrate the critical contribution of zinc batteries towards a sustainable energy landscape.”

Electric Power Research Institute Vice President of Integrated Grid and Energy Systems Daniel Brooks said, “EPRI has long been at the forefront of battery energy storage safety research and efforts to provide reliable, resilient energy to consumers. We're looking forward to participating in this project, working with collaborators on efforts to provide reliable power during instances of extreme weather and high demand.”

The technology is being installed at two regionally diverse sites in New York State to demonstrate viability in varying geographical settings for different load characteristics. Each system will be 300 kilowatts with 12 or more hours of operation and offer the potential for reducing electric bills through demand charge reduction from peak shaving. The SUNY Oneonta project will also support a forthcoming on-site solar project, helping to achieve the campus’ long-term clean energy plans. The exact site location on each campus will be determined as part of the first phase of work. Construction will begin in 2026 and the facilities will be operational in 2028.

The Power Authority will support the storage projects with energy education outreach programs to under-resourced communities located near the demonstration sites. NYPA, through its established environmental justice program, will support a community benefits plan focused on educational programming, providing STEM, career and college readiness, and adult energy literacy workshops on energy storage. A community stakeholder working group will be formed involving local schools, governments, universities, community colleges, and community organizations. The working group will steer the development and deployment of programs that will prioritize underserved populations.

According to the DOE, today’s energy storage technologies are not sufficiently scaled or affordable to support the broad use of renewable energy on the electric grid. Cheaper long-duration energy storage can increase grid reliability and resilience so that clean, reliable, affordable electricity is available to everyone. The selected projects will also help achieve DOE's nationwide goal of reducing storage costs by 90 percent within the decade and demonstrating the potential for creating long-term, high-quality jobs in clean energy manufacturing, installation and maintenance.

As renewable power sources like wind and solar provide a growing portion of New York State’s electricity, storage will allow clean energy to be available when it is needed most. New York aims to deploy 6,000 megawatts of storage by 2030 and last year, Governor Hochul convened an inter-agency fire safety working group to make recommendations regarding battery safety issues.

Zinc Batteries: Safe and Domestically Available

The projects will demonstrate the viability of UEP’s zinc manganese dioxide batteries in large-scale and long-duration energy storage systems. The batteries utilize a fire-safe chemistry using low-cost and largely domestically available, earth abundant raw materials that can be readily provided through existing supply—and more than 75 percent of UEP’s raw material vendors are based in the U.S. The batteries have the same chemistry as household batteries and are expected to show comparable performance to lithium-ion batteries without the inherent safety and supply chain issues.

A successful demonstration could enable market adoption of UEP’s technology by proving decreased technology risk and reducing demand on grid infrastructure through reduced peak demand load. The batteries have been successfully piloted on smaller scales at several energy storage installations.

SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr. said, “Our congratulations to SUNY Oneonta on its selection as one of two sites for the cutting-edge, long-duration energy storage demonstration project, which has the potential to provide climate resiliency and demand management benefits. This project being tied directly to the campus' distribution system is just another example of how SUNY is collaborating with our state and federal partners to develop new paths toward sustainably powering our campuses and, ultimately, advancing Governor Hochul and New York State's ambitious climate goals.”

SUNY Oneonta President Alberto J.F. Cardelle said, “SUNY Oneonta is committed to partnering with environmental visionaries in New York state and beyond. Using our campus to host and study this new clean energy technology is a valuable opportunity to build scalable solutions to our regional energy needs, provide educational programming for our students and community, and spur new economic development efforts within the Mohawk Valley. As co-chair of SUNY’s Sustainability Advisory Council, I look forward to working with our partners across SUNY on opportunities to leverage and build upon this leading-edge initiative.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “When it comes to exciting new technologies like this long-duration energy storage project in New York, the secret sauce is federal investment from our Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law boosting top-notch public and private science and research – like that done by NYPA and Rockland’s Urban Electric Power – to perfect battery and energy storage innovation, expand clean energy and create jobs. Better, more efficient, safer battery storage technology – that can also help hold down energy costs – will help New York reduce reliance on dirty fossil fuels, energize the economy and support the fight against climate change. I’m proud to help deliver this significant federal investment to NY and am grateful for Governor Hochul’s work ensuring that this federal funding is used to power NY’s clean energy future.”

Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, “As we continue working towards our aggressive climate goals, this grant provided by the U.S. Department of Energy to support long-term battery storage using fire-safe battery technology, is critical to New York's clean energy future. With installations at Westchester County's Grasslands Reservation in Valhalla and SUNY Oneonta, this project will demonstrate the viability of long-duration energy storage as we continue our transition to renewable resources. This grant allows for the potential to reduce electric bills for customers in our community, which is crucial at a time when energy costs are high. I commend Governor Hochul and our partners for their commitment to advancing sustainable energy solutions and enhancing our state's energy resilience.”

State Senator Peter Oberacker said, “My congratulations to the New York Power Authority on securing this grant from the United States Department of Energy. This is a crucial step in enhancing grid reliability for our communities through long-duration energy storage, and I look forward to the project's installation on SUNY Oneonta's campus.”

Assemblymember Didi Barrett said, “Today’s announcement of more than $6.5 million in funding for long-duration energy storage demonstration projects is a critical step to move our clean energy transition forward. These fire-safe LDES projects will have the capability to deliver electricity for up to 10-24 hours, allowing New York State to maintain reliability of the grid as we continue to expand renewable energy sources. I thank Governor Hochul and the U.S. Department of Energy for their support of this important project.”

Assemblymember Brian Miller said, “Securing this grant from the US Department of Energy is a significant milestone. We applaud the collaboration between the New York Power Authority (NYPA), Urban Electric Power (UEP), and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), which will not only showcase the cutting-edge long duration battery storage technology, but also reinforce New York's commitment to innovative energy solutions. With one of the installations located at SUNY Oneonta, we are set to lead by example, demonstrating the critical role long-duration energy storage can play in enhancing grid resilience.”

Assemblymember MaryJane Shimsky said, “Long-duration energy storage is key to achieving the goals of New York’s Build Public Renewables law. It also stands to provide some cost reductions to our residents by offsetting peak demand. As we look to build out our green energy infrastructure, the Grasslands campus will serve as a model site for new LDES technology and development. I thank Governor Hochul and our partners at the Department of Energy for this investment in our region.”

Westchester County Executive George Latimer said, “By hosting this project at Grasslands Reservation, Westchester County is taking a step towards safer and cleaner energy. This cutting-edge long-duration storage initiative exemplifies our commitment to renewable resources, showcasing New York State's leadership under Governor Kathy Hochul. Teaming up with the Power Authority, Urban Electric Power, and EPRI, we're advancing innovation, ensuring reliable power and reinforcing our dedication to environmental progress and energy education. Together, we're shaping a sustainable future for our community and beyond.”

City of Oneonta Mayor Mark Drnek said, “On behalf of the City of Oneonta, I want to share our excitement at the potential of this collaboration of the State, SUNY Oneonta, and the New York Power Authority. Long-duration storage can provide a cost-savings benefit to our citizens while ensuring an energy capacity that will benefit our community in countless ways. This is a wonderful example of partnership for the public good, and we are grateful to all those who’ve made it happen.”

New York State's Nation-Leading Climate Plan

New York State's climate agenda calls for an orderly and just transition that creates family-sustaining jobs, continues to foster a green economy across all sectors and ensures that at least 35 percent, with a goal of 40 percent, of the benefits of clean energy investments are directed to disadvantaged communities. Guided by some of the nation’s most aggressive climate and clean energy initiatives, New York is advancing a suite of efforts – including the New York Cap-and-Invest program (NYCI) and other complementary policies – to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and 85 percent by 2050 from 1990 levels. New York is also on a path to achieving a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and economy-wide carbon neutrality by mid-century. A cornerstone of this transition is New York's unprecedented clean energy investments, including more than $28 billion in 61 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the State, $6.8 billion to reduce building emissions, $3.3 billion to scale up solar, nearly $3 billion for clean transportation initiatives and 130 certified Climate Smart Communities, over 500 Clean Energy Communities, and the State’s largest community air monitoring initiative in 10 disadvantaged communities across the State to help target air pollution and combat climate change.

About NYPA 

NYPA is the largest state public power organization in the nation, operating 17 generating facilities and more than 1,550 circuit-miles of transmission lines. More than 80 percent of the electricity NYPA produces is clean renewable hydropower. NYPA finances its operations through the sale of bonds and revenues earned in large part through sales of electricity. For more information visit www.nypa.gov and follow us on Twitter, Facebook,  Instagram, Tumblr  and  LinkedIn.