Aiding local clean energy projects 

Local governments play a role in energy choices in their communities, but local governments in New York State weren’t aware of clean energy initiatives and funding options. NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Communities program addresses these concerns by assisting governments earn recognition and grant funding to display their clean energy leadership and to implement clean energy actions, save energy costs, create jobs, and improve the environment. The program gives tools, resources, and technical assistance. It recognizes and rewards leadership for fulfilling clean energy projects.
 

NYSERDA program defined 
 
It gives local governments structure to guide them through implementation of clean energy projects. It helps others save energy and costs in  municipalities’ budgets and homes. It navigates communities looking to save money, foster a vibrant economy, and improve the environment by providing funds, but also by giving access to technical assistance.  NYSERDA noted top 10 actions for local governments to take. By completing four of the ten actions, a town, city, or county earns the Clean Energy Community designation. In addition, a location can apply for a grant with no cost between $50,000 and $250,000 to support projects. Nearly 200 communities earned the Clean Energy Community designation.

The high impact actions are:

Benchmarking - Adopt a policy to report the energy use of municipal buildings

Clean Energy Upgrades - Achieve 10 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from municipal buildings

LED Street Lights – Convert at least half of the jurisdiction’s street lights to energy efficient LED technology

Clean Fleets - Install electric vehicle charging stations or deploy alternative fuel vehicles in the municipal fleet

Solarize - Undertake a local Solarize campaign to increase the number of solar installations

Unified Solar Permit - Streamline the approvals process for local solar projects

Energy Code Enforcement Training - Train compliance officers in energy code best practices

Climate Smart Communities Certification - Get certified by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Community Choice Aggregation - Put energy supply choices in the community’s hands

Energize New York Finance – Establish a Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing program for businesses and nonprofits
 

Program gives grants

The program gives grants to 163 communities of up to $250,000 for large communities (+40,000 population) and up to $100,000 for small/medium communities (0-39,999 population). Grants are awarded to the first 18 communities in each of the state’s ten Regional Economic Development Council regions. Funding is set aside for large and small/medium-sized communities so communities are only competing against those of similar size in their region. Once all the grants are claimed, communities still earn the Clean Energy Community designation but aren’t qualified for grant funding.

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