Major Reset Needed to Respond to Dramatic Decline in Contracted Projects
Today, the Alliance for Clean Energy New York (ACE NY) and the New
York Offshore Wind Alliance (NYOWA) announced their 2024 Goals and Legislative Priorities.
The clean energy industry’s agenda highlights that New York’s climate goals must become
construction goals for wind and solar energy, energy storage and transmission, EV charging, and
building retrofits. New York needs policies to overcome barriers and get projects to
construction.
Read the complete list of ACE NY 2024 Goals here. Read the NYOWA Goals here. Read the
Legislative Priorities here. For renewable energy, the highest priority is to address the unfortunate fact that 73 landbased wind and solar projects have canceled contracts or rejected contract awards in NewYork in recent weeks. This reflects the impact of inflation in the supply chain and rising construction costs, which were the subject of a 2023 ACE NY petition requesting an inflation adjustment, which was denied by the New York Public Service Commission on Oct. 12, 2023.
Roughly 90% of the projects that were the subject of that petition now no longer have contracts or awards.
“The clear priority for 2024 is for New York to award new contracts for wind and solar projects
to replace those that were just canceled due to inflation,” said Anne Reynolds, executive
director of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York, “This market reset is critical for a re-start of
renewable energy progress; to avoid the permanent cancelation of 73 projects; and to make
progress towards our climate goals.”
Similarly, the offshore wind procurement program needs a reset. “The offshore wind industry is
facing headwinds, both from economic pressures and misinformation, but the benefits of these
projects remain clear,” said Fred Zalcman, director of the New York Offshore Wind Alliance.
ACE NY’s priorities for the Governor’s Executive Budget include sales tax exemptions for three
items that New Yorkers need to buy to advance the state’s climate plan: new and used electric
cars, heat pumps, and batteries for energy storage.
Other priorities:
- New investments in energy storage and transmission. In 2024, ACE NY will be advocating
for a new Public Policy Transmission Need (PPTN) for upstate New York and continued
progress on the New York City PPTN. - A new, improved, and timelier interconnection process, which ACE NY and the NYISO
worked on in 2023, to be finalized and implemented. - Benchmarking legislation for building efficiency, and policies to support electric vehicles.
ACE NY publishes bill memos on all relevant and significant legislation, which can be viewed
here, but the major focus this year will be advocating for the Omnibus Renewable Energy
Progress Act (REPA) to address some of the roadblocks keeping large-scale renewable projects
from reaching construction.
The New York Offshore Wind Alliance has also identified actions the state can take to support
the offshore wind industry as it continues to play a crucial role in the overall clean energy
transition. NYOWA advocates for additional long-term offshore wind development targets of a
minimum of 20 GW deployed by 2050. NYOWA will also continue playing a role in the public
debate as many learn of this new industry for the first time, using established facts and ongoing
investments to demonstrate its many benefits.
Contact: Barry Wygel, Communications Director, 518.902.1225, bwygel@aceny.org
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About the Alliance for Clean Energy New York: The Alliance for Clean Energy New York (ACE
NY) is a broad coalition dedicated to promoting clean energy, energy efficiency, a healthy
environment, and a strong economy for the Empire State, and is New York’s premier advocate
for the rapid adoption of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. www.aceny.org
About the New York Offshore Wind Alliance: The New York Offshore Wind Alliance (NYOWA) is
a diverse coalition of organizations with a shared interest in promoting the responsible
development of offshore wind power for New York. NYOWA is a new project of the Alliance for
Clean Energy New York (ACE NY). www.nyowa.org
