Authorizes and directs the department of public service to conduct a study on the deployment of energy interconnection processes into the electrical grid to meet the state's renewable energy goals; directs the department of public service to submit a report on its findings one year after the effective date.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A4127A
SPONSOR: Stirpe TITLE OF BILL:
An act to authorize and direct the department of public service to
conduct a study on the deployment of energy interconnection processes
into the electrical grid
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To produce a study on regulatory barriers to the deployment of energy
interconnection processes in the state
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 authorizes the Public Service Commission to conduct a study on
the deployment of energy interconnection processes.
Section 2 directs the Public Service Commission to submit a report on
their findings to the governor, the speaker of the assembly, and tempo-
rary president of the senate, along with any recommendations.
Section 3 provides definitions for "energy interconnect on process,"
"electrical grid," and "renewable energy resources."
Section 4 establishes the effective date of the bill.
JUSTIFICATION:
In order to reach the goals, set out by the Climate and Community
Protection Act, New York State must examine how each part of our power
system works and maximize the efficiency at which we operate. One area
that has received lots of national focus is the interconnection process.
Interconnection is the process through which power generation facilities
are connected to the larger energy grid. Last July, the Federal Energy
. Regulatory Commission (FERC) mandated changes to transmission provid-
ers' interconnection rules, aiming to address requests from generators
and energy storage developers to connect to the grid.
One process that has received a lot of attention is the "connect and
manage" approach. In our current approach, there is an interconnection
queue, and a study must be completed for each proposed project to ensure
that the overall grid system has capacity before a project is allowed to
connect to the grid. The queue can be delayed because an extensive study
must be completed for each proposed energy production facility. However,
in a connect and manage approach, production generation facilities are
brought onto the,grid. This allows for much faster deployment of new
renewable energy generation projects, as this is a much more efficient
process. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas {ERGOT) has seen
success in bringing in new energy at a rapid clip onto the grid after
adopting this type of approach.
This bill is designed to holistically study our interconnection process
in New York State and ensure that our process can bring enough renewable
energy onto the grid to hit our important climate change goals. There
are a wide variety of system changes, processes, and new technologies
that can be studied to ensure maximum productivity in bringing new elec-
tric production onto the grid.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023 - 2024: referred to energy / AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO ENERGY AND TELE-
COMMUNICATIONS
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
TBD
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4127--A
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 31, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. STIRPE -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Energy -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to authorize and direct the department of public service 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 department of public service 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 onto the electrical grid to meet the state's renew-
7 able energy goals set out under the climate leadership and community
8 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 federally designated bulk system operator and
13 any 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 projects by the federally designated bulk system operator
19 go beyond the minimal set of studies and network upgrades needed to
20 safely operate the system with a new resource;
21 (e) Whether it is possible to identify more efficient system upgrades
22 in the context of New York's federally designated bulk system operator's
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03676-04-5
A. 4127--A 2
1 comprehensive system planning process rather than certain studies and
2 upgrades currently in the energy interconnection process;
3 (f) Improvements to the interconnection process for qualified energy
4 storage systems as defined by subdivision 1 of section 74 of the public
5 service law; and
6 (g) Whether any changes identified in this study at the transmission
7 level would also improve processes at the distribution level.
8 § 2. Report. No later than one year after the effective date of this
9 act, the department of public service shall submit to the governor, the
10 speaker of the assembly and the temporary president of the senate, a
11 report assessing its findings under the study conducted pursuant to
12 section one of this act, and any recommendations to rapidly bring new
13 renewable energy onto the electrical grid to meet the state's renewable
14 energy goals set out under the climate leadership and community
15 protection act, as amended.
16 § 3. Definitions. For the purposes of this act, the following terms
17 shall have the following meanings:
18 (a) "Energy interconnection process" means the process of integrating
19 new sources of renewable energy, as defined by section 66-p of the
20 public service law, into the electrical grid.
21 (b) "Electrical grid" means the network of electric plants and other
22 electric generating facilities and equipment, and electricity trans-
23 mission and distribution systems in the state.
24 (c) "Renewable energy" shall have the same meaning as defined by
25 section 66-p of the public service law.
26 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
