New York grid operator advances 3 GW of solar, storage projects

From pv magazine USA

The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) has completed final interconnection studies for 27 renewable energy and transmission projects for which the developers have agreed to interconnection costs.

The projects include 1.6 GW of solar and 1.5 GW of storage, which compares to 16 GW of solar and 14 GW of storage in NYISO’s interconnection queue studies at the end of 2021, according to data from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The projects also include 2.3 GW of offshore wind and 0.8 GW of onshore wind, compared to 37 GW of offshore wind and 4 GW of onshore wind in the NYISO queue at the end of 2021.

The approved transmission project is the 1.25 GW high-voltage direct current (HVDC) line known as the Champlain Hudson Power Express, for which construction began in November 2022. The total interconnection costs for all approved projects is about $600 million, including about $200 million to interconnect the transmission project.

The approved projects “will help move the state closer to the clean energy mandates” of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, said Zach Smith, NYISO’s vice president of system and resource planning. Under that law, New York has an interim goal of reducing climate pollution 40% by 2030, compared to the 1990 level.

NYISO said in a statement that it “continues working with stakeholders to implement improvements to the interconnection study process.” The transmission operator said that additional engineers and project management staff have joined the planning department, and that ongoing focus groups with developers aim to identify “additional areas for enhancements.”

In addition, new technology is being developed, NYISO said, that will “create efficiencies in managing demands for applicants as well as NYISO staff.”

Last year, Texas grid operator ERCOT reported that it had completed final interconnection studies for 6 GW of solar interconnection requests in 2021, while the California Independent System Operator reported completing such studies for 5 GW of solar. Grid operator Midcontinent Independent System Operator in the central United States reported that generator interconnection agreements for 6 GW of solar projects were filed in 2021. A generator interconnection agreement follows a final interconnection study.

NYISO has made available a list of the 27 projects that are advancing. NYISO reviews requests to interconnect to the transmission grid using a “cluster study” process, which NYISO calls a “class year” process, as described in “The NYISO Interconnection Process.” In reporting on the 27 projects, NYISO said the “decision/settlement process for Class Year 2021” has been completed.