| State: |
New York |
| Incentive Type: |
Renewables Portfolio Standard |
| Eligible Renewable/Other Technologies: |
Solar Water Heat, Photovoltaics, Landfill Gas, Wind, Biomass, Hydroelectric, Fuel Cells, CHP/Cogeneration, Anaerobic Digestion, Tidal Energy, Wave Energy, Ocean Thermal, Ethanol, Methanol, Biodiesel, Fuel Cells using Renewable Fuels |
| Applicable Sectors: |
Investor-Owned Utility |
| Standard: | 29% by 2015 |
| Technology Minimum: | Customer-Sited: Target of ~8.44% of the annual incremental requirement (0.5764% of state sales in 2015)* |
| Credit Trading: | No (currently under development) |
| Web Site: |
http://www3.dps.ny.gov/W/PSCWeb.nsf/All/1008ED2F934294AE852576870...
|
Authority 1:
Date Enacted:
Date Effective:
|
NY PSC Order, Case 03-E-0188
09/24/2004
09/24/2004
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Authority 2:
Date Enacted:
Date Effective:
|
NY PSC Order, Case 03-E-0188
04/14/2005
04/14/2005
|
Authority 3:
Date Enacted:
Date Effective:
|
NY PSC Order, Case 03-E-0188
01/08/2010
01/08/2010
|
Authority 4:
Date Enacted:
Date Effective:
|
NY PSC Order, Case 03-E-0188
04/02/2010
04/02/2010
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Authority 5:
Date Enacted:
Date Effective:
|
NY PSC Order, Case 03-E-0188
05/22/2013
05/22/2013
|
The New York Public Service Commission (PSC) adopted a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) in September 2004 and issued implementation rules in April 2005. As originally designed, New York's RPS had a renewables target of 25% of state electricity consumption by 2013, but was expanded in January 2010 to 30% by 2015 by order of the PSC. Of this 30%, approximately 20.7% of the target will be derived from existing renewable energy facilities and one percent (1%) of the target is expected to be met through voluntary green power sales in 2015.
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) manages the RPS fund gathered through a surcharge on each kilowatt-hour sold by the state’s investor-owned utilities. The RPS surcharge is separate from and in addition to the state system benefits charge (SBC). Customers exempt from contributing to the SBC are also exempt from the RPS charge. Municipal utilities, the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) do not fall under the jurisdiction of this program, but have been encouraged by the PSC to adopt similar programs. LIPA has adopted a renewable energy goal equivalent to the state target.
Eligible technologies
Eligible new renewable resources has been categorized into two tiers - a Main Tier which includes roughly 91.56% of incremental renewables generation and a Customer-Sited Tier (CST) that includes roughly 8.44%. Under the original standard, the CST was set at 2% of the incremental renewable generation required to meet the standard, but was expanded in April 2010 as part of the expansion of the RPS from 25% by 2013 to 30% by 2015.
Main Tier
Resources eligible for the Main Tier include methane digesters and certain other forms of biomass, liquid biofuels, fuel cells, hydroelectric power, photovoltaics (PV), ocean power, tidal power, and wind power. NYSERDA can procure Main Tier resources through auction, requests for proposals (RFPs), or standard offer contracts. While the Main Tier seeks to foster the development of additional renewable resources in New York, existing renewable energy facilities may also be eligible if they began operation on or after January 1, 2003 and meet certain other criteria. In a May 2013 ruling, the PSC authorized NYSERDA to limit Main Tier bids and Main Tier contracts to bidders proposing to meet their RPS obligations with renewable resource energy generated inside the State, or through an offshore generating facility directly interconnected to New York’s electrical grid. Going forward, out of state installations, with the exemption of offshore facilities, will be ineligible for the RPS.
Customer-Sited Tier
The resources eligible for the Customer-Sited Tier (CST) include fuel cells, photovoltaics, solar hot water, wind turbines, and methane digesters. CST systems are generally limited to the size of the load at the customer's meter. The CST supports incentive programs that previously were supported by the state's SBC.
Voluntary Green-Power Market:
To encourage the growth of the state's voluntary green-power market to meet the 1% target, Commission has adopted a set aside provision of 5% of a renewable facility's output. Accordingly, renewable generators must demonstrate that at least 5% of their output is available for voluntary green market sales outside the RPS program. (NYSERDA will pay incentives for only 95% of a project's actual monthly output up to the contract amount).
Click here to view historical annual reports, evaluation documents, and other RPS related resources from NYSERDA.
