Watching footage from Florida, where communities are reeling from Hurricane Milton, I am reminded of the devastating effects of Superstorm Sandy on the New York City area a dozen years ago this week. The consequences of Sandy were severe and far-reaching, including 43 deaths, 90,000 buildings flooded, and a multi-day blackout that left nearly 2 million people without power.
Climate change has since made coastal storms more frequent and more violent, underscoring the urgent need to rapidly deploy clean energy technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while also investing in infrastructure to make the city of resilient New York before the next storm.
Rooftop solar combined with energy storage is a powerful technology that helps mitigate and adapt climate change in one fell swoop; rooftop solar panels produce electricity without polluting the air and energy storage provides resilient backup power; a feature that can literally save lives in the event of a power outage. The world sees New York City as a leader in climate change mitigation and adaptation.
In 2019, New York enacted the Climate Mobilization Act, making New York the first major city to regulate carbon emissions from buildings. That same year, New York State passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, codifying some of the most ambitious clean energy mandates in the country. That’s why it’s so surprising that New York City is the only place in the world where there is a de facto ban on clean, resilient backup power to homes.
Over the past decade, residential energy storage installations have grown exponentially. Most often installed in garages or outdoors in tandem with rooftop solar panels, residential energy storage systems do not pose the public safety danger posed by unregistered e-bikes or scooters; Residential energy storage systems are safe, highly regulated, UL listed products installed by licensed contractors in the New York area and around the world.
Many homeowners consider residential energy storage systems a safe and environmentally friendly alternative to backup gas generators. But modern energy storage systems are much more than that! While gas generators are useless without gasoline (which can be difficult to obtain in an emergency), solar power combined with energy storage can provide long-lasting backup power by recharging again and again from the sun.
While backup generators collect dust 99% of the time, energy storage systems provide valuable services to the electrical distribution system, making our energy system more resilient and affordable when the lights are on. And while individual solar and storage systems may be small, they can be built quickly and consolidated into large-scale virtual power plants (VPPs), allowing us to decommission our most polluting power plants. .
According to the New York Department of Health, 2,400 New York City residents die prematurely each year due to the health impacts of air pollution, disproportionately affecting low-income communities and communities of color. . Removing our dirtiest fossil fuel generators is essential for public health and safety as well as environmental justice. Rapid installation of solar and energy storage systems in New York can accelerate these retirements.
New York City’s elected leaders understand this opportunity. That’s why they partnered with the state Legislature to extend and extend the property tax abatement on New York’s solar and electric storage systems last year, an incentive for homeowners New York real estate companies if they install solar and/or energy storage.
The New York Public Service Commission also understands this opportunity, which is why it recently authorized the New York State Energy Storage Roadmap, including $100 million for energy storage incentives. residential energy. This is also why they launched a Grid of the Future procedure and commissioned a study to assess New York’s VPP potential.
I’ll make it easy for them: New York City’s VPP potential is zero without sensible changes to the fire code to allow the installation of safe residential energy storage systems in New York. And even though much of the statewide $100 million residential energy storage incentive program will be funded by New York City residents, without fire code reform , they will not be able to access the incentive program they are funding.
The FDNY’s courage is undeniable and its caution is understandable, but let’s make no mistake: unregulated e-bikes and scooters are not the same thing as highly regulated, UL-listed residential energy storage systems. As New Yorkers reflect on this 12th anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, let’s not wait idly for the next storm. Now is the time for the City Council and the FDNY to lift New York City’s ban on clean, resilient backup power and ensure New Yorkers have access to this life-saving technology.
Ginsburg is the executive director of the New York Solar Energy Industries Association, New York’s distributed solar and energy storage trade association.
