Authorizes and directs the public service commission to conduct a study on the deployment of energy interconnection processes into the electrical grid to meet the state's renewable energy goals set out under the climate leadership and community protection act; directs the public service commission to submit a report on its findings one year after the effective date.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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8628--A
IN SENATE
February 22, 2024
___________
Introduced by Sen. MAY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and Telecommuni-
cations -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to authorize and direct the public service commission to conduct
a study on the deployment of energy interconnection processes into the
electrical grid
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Study. The public service commission is authorized and
2 directed to conduct a study on the regulatory barriers, if any, to the
3 rapid deployment of energy interconnection processes in the state that
4 shall include, but not be limited to:
5 (a) Potential changes to the interconnection process to rapidly bring
6 new renewable energy resources onto the electrical grid to meet the
7 state's renewable energy goals set out under the climate leadership and
8 community protection act, as amended;
9 (b) The state's ability to comply with goals established in the
10 climate leadership and community protection act, as amended, with
11 current energy interconnection process timelines, including the effect
12 of recent reforms by the New York Independent System Operator and any
13 additional anticipated reforms;
14 (c) The experience of other interconnection systems using "Connect and
15 Manage" or other alternative connection agreements in terms of the speed
16 of resource deployments and electrical grid reliability;
17 (d) The extent to which the studies and network upgrades currently
18 required for Energy Resource Interconnection Service projects in the New
19 York Independent System Operator go beyond the minimal set of studies
20 and network upgrades needed to safely operate the system with a new
21 resource, in comparison to the United Kingdom's Enabling Works approach;
22 (e) Whether it is possible to identify more efficient system upgrades
23 in the context of the New York Independent System Operator comprehensive
24 system planning process rather than certain studies and upgrades
25 currently in the energy interconnection process;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14526-03-4
S. 8628--A 2
1 (f) Whether projects that initially join the system with Energy
2 Resource Interconnection Service status can be elevated to the Network
3 Resource Interconnection Service status upon completion of relevant
4 network upgrades, to determine if there is a mechanism by which genera-
5 tors could be allocated part of the cost of such upgrades, if such
6 upgrades are completed via the comprehensive system planning process
7 rather than the energy interconnection process;
8 (g) Improvements to the interconnection process for qualified energy
9 storage systems as defined by subdivision 1 of section 74 of the public
10 service law; and
11 (h) Whether any changes identified in this study at the transmission
12 level would also improve processes at the distribution level.
13 § 2. Report. No later than one year after the effective date of this
14 act, the public service commission shall submit to the governor, the
15 speaker of the assembly and the temporary president of the senate, a
16 report assessing its findings under the study conducted pursuant to
17 section one of this act, and any recommendations to rapidly bring new
18 renewable energy resources onto the electrical grid to meet the state's
19 renewable energy goals set out under the climate leadership and communi-
20 ty protection act, as amended.
21 § 3. Definitions. For the purposes of this act, the following terms
22 shall have the following meanings:
23 (a) "Energy interconnection process" means the process of integrating
24 new sources of renewable energy resources, as defined by section 1-103
25 of the energy law, into the electrical grid.
26 (b) "Electrical grid" means the network of electric plants and other
27 electric generating facilities and equipment, and electricity trans-
28 mission and distribution systems in the state.
29 (c) "Renewable energy resources" shall have the same meaning as
30 defined by section 1-103 of the energy law.
31 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
