New York Prize

The New York Prize Community Microgrid competition, administered by NYSERDA, was developed as a strategy to promote community microgrids, helping NYS communities to reduce costs, promote clean energy and improve resiliency and reliability. The NY Prize Initiative has three stages: involving grants for feasibility studies, engineering design studies, and finally, project construction. So far, 83 feasibility studies been awarded funding for Stage 1 (July 2015) and 11 designs were awarded funding for Stage 2 (April 2017). To learn more about microgrids you can use Microgrids 101 as a guideline.

REPORTS

Regulator Reports

Evaluation of New York Prize Stage 1 Feasibility Assessments
October 2017 | This NYSERDA report documents the results of an independent review by Brookhaven National Laboratory of a subset of microgrid feasibility studies submitted to NYSERDA in response to RFP-3044.

Stage 1 New York Prize Feasibility Studies
2016 | A series of feasibility studies prepared by awardees of the Stage 1 NY Prize competition.

Stage 1 Awarded Projects
February 2016 | A list of the winners of the Stage 1 NY Prize competition, their partners, and a brief description of their proposals. These stage 1 awardees received funding to conduct engineering assessments that evaluate the feasibility of installing and operating a community microgrid at a proposed site in New York State.

Stage 2 Awarded Projects
June 2017 | A list of the winners of Stage 2 of the NY Prize competition and their partners, as well as a brief description of their proposals. During Stage 2, competitively selected communities received funding to develop a comprehensive engineering, financial, and commercial assessment associated with installing and operating a community microgrid.

Microgrids for Critical Facility Resiliency in New York State
December 2014 | This NYSERDA / NYS DPS/ DHSES report prepared for the NYS Legislature addresses the challenges facing microgrid development in today’s utility environment, examining case studies and exploring how microgrids support mission-critical functionality.

NY Prize Community Grid Competition Request for Proposals 3044: Stage 1 Feasibility Assessment
April 2015 | The request for proposal (RFP) for Stage 1 of the NY Prize Community Grid Competition. Proposals of feasibility assessments were accepted through May 15, 2015.

NY Prize Community Grid Competition Request for Proposals 3044: Stage 2 Detailed Engineering Design, Financial and Business Plan Assessment
2016 | The request for proposals (RFP) for Stage 2 of the NY Prize Community Grid Competition. The proposals for funding had to conduct detailed engineering and commercial assessments that evaluated the feasibility of installing / operating a community microgrid at a site within New York State. The RFPs were accepted through October 12, 2016.

Independent & Stakeholder Reports

Community Microgrids: Smarter, Cleaner, Greener
2013 | Presented by Pace Energy and Climate Center, Pace Law School, Community Microgrids: Smarter, Cleaner, Greener is an introductory report on community microgrids and the many benefits they offer.

Microgrid Integration in New York: Challenges & Opportunities
Spring 2017 | Presented by Columbia University & New York Power Authority, the report draws on expert knowledge from more than 40 electricity industry representatives and a selection of case studies to illuminate the regulatory and financial barriers to grid modernization in New York.

Community Microgrid Case Study and Analysis Report
August 13, 2015 | Presented by Navigant & New York State Smart Grid Consortium, this report is an analysis and action recommendations for the advancement of community microgrids in New York State based on an assessment of prominent global community microgrid projects.

NY Prize: Assessing the Benefits and Costs of Developing a Microgrid: Model User’s Guide
March 2015 | To assist the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) with the evaluation of the economic viability of microgrids, Industrial Economics, Incorporated, has developed a benefit-cost assessment (BCA) model designed for application to individual sites.

How Reliable is Your Microgrid?
July 2015 | Presented by Public Utilities Fortnightly, this report is an insurer’s perspective on risk drivers for distributed resources.

A Guide for Mayors and City Leaders Seeking Clean, Reliable and Locally Controlled Energy: Introduction to Community Microgrids
2015 | Presented by Microgrid Knowledge, this guide describes how microgrids serve communities and explains why states like California, Massachusetts, and New York promote their development, and offer substantial incentives to boost the industry.

RESOURCES

New York Prize
Hosted by NYSERDA, this is the home for all things related to New York Prize.

NY Prize Opportunity Zones
NY Prize helps communities reduce costs, promote clean energy, and build reliability and resiliency into the electric grid. NY Prize is a part of a statewide endeavor to modernize New York State’s electric grid, spurring innovation and community partnerships with utilities, local governments, and private sector. Our mission is to enable the technological, operational, and business models that will help communities reduce costs, promote clean energy, and build reliability and resiliency into the grid.

Microgrids 101
A NYSERDA hosted site that provides a comprehensive description of a microgrid.