Battery-NY at Binghamton University Scores Federal Funding
On September 2, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that Binghamton University will receive $113.7 million in funding to create Battery-NY as a cutting-edge technology development, manufacturing, and commercialization energy storage hub. They received $50 million in state funding, as well as $63.7 million in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge. Binghamton University was one of just twenty-one winners out of more than 500 applicants in this national competition. This combined funding will allow the university to develop Battery-NY at their Huron campus, with work beginning this fall and the facility expected to open sometime in the next two years.
This facility should be a great complement to New York’s energy storage program, as Governor Hochul committed to double New York's energy storage deployment goal from 3 gigawatts to at least 6 gigawatts by 2030. Battery-NY at Binghamton University is also a component of the larger New Energy New York (NENY)initiative, whose goal is to create a National Hub for Battery Innovation and Manufacturing. In her State of the State address in January, Governor Hochul prioritized the creation of a next-gen energy storage facility. This manufacturing infrastructure in the Southern Tier will aim to support the battery industry, develop the supply chain in New York, and create thousands of jobs.
The Alliance for Clean Energy NY and our member companies are strong supporters of energy storage and are working to improve the storage policy landscape in New York. ACE NY has an active energy storage subcommittee, which has developed multiple presentations on possible energy storage procurement policies for New York. These presentations have been used in our discussions with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), relating to both retail and bulk storage applications. We are eagerly awaiting a white paper from NYSERDA on a framework for energy storage policy in New York, which is imperative to developing a strong storage market in NY and thereby reaching the Governor’s 6 gigawatt storage goal. In the meantime, we congratulate Binghamton University on its progress in developing Battery-NY.
