The US state of New York is partnering with Ireland and Denmark to improve grid infrastructure and boost the development of offshore wind and other renewables technologies.
The two separate memorandums of understanding, announced during Climate Week, will support state governor Andrew Cuomo’s (pictured) Green New Deal and New York’s goal to be 100% carbon-free by 2040.
Cuomo said: “New York is committed to innovation and will benefit greatly from these partnerships with two of our key international partners.
“These collaborations will enable New York State to remain at the forefront of technological advancement and economic development as we shape an energy future that will benefit all New Yorkers by lowering costs and reducing our carbon footprint.”
The first agreement, with Ireland’s electric utility and grid operator EirGrid, lays out plans to model, create and test new solutions for energy systems in the state’s first collaborative electric utility research facility at the New York Power Authority (NYPA).
The collaboration between NYPA, Irish state-owned utility Electricity Supply Board (ESB), and Irish state-owned transmission system operator EirGrid, plus the US Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) aims to accelerate improvements to energy infrastructure.
The cooperation will also create more reliable and efficient electric grids and integrate distributed generation and resources onto local and regional power grids.
EirGrid Group chief executive Mark Foley said: “We in EirGrid have played a vital and pivotal role through both our ability to connect wind farms, and crucially through our DS3 innovation programme.
“Through this, we have challenged the laws of physics and delivered products and services that enable us to achieve a world-leading level of 65% instantaneous renewable energy on the Irish power system.”
The new electric utility and grid technologies developed under the New York-Irish agreement will be designed and tested in the Advanced Grid Innovation Laboratory for Energy (AGILE), located at NYPA’s headquarters in White Plains.
NYPA CEO Gil Quiniones said, “As the nation’s largest state utility, NYPA shares many of the same objectives as our Irish counterparts. We both recognise that a low-carbon energy future combined with a resilient grid is not only good for our environment and our world, it is also the best way to meet the preferences of our customers and spur new economic development.”
AGILE can perform a variety of transmission and distribution grid simulation and hardware- or software-in-the-loop studies, aimed at improving reliability and incorporating intermittent resources – like solar and wind – into the energy mix.
The new research competencies fine-tuned in AGILE will be of interest to Ireland’s policymakers as the country focuses on decarbonising its energy supply.
The second agreement expands an ongoing partnership between the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the Danish Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Climate for the development and procurement of offshore wind energy.
Expertise and knowledge will be exchanged while developing innovative solutions for the development of offshore wind energy, including areas such as infrastructure, supply chain, workforce development and procurement solutions.
The collaborative partnership will build upon the foundation of the New York State Offshore Wind Master Plan, which was released in 2018 by governor Cuomo and moves the state closer to its goal to develop 9GW of offshore wind by 2035.
Denmark is one of the leading offshore wind energy producers in Europe with the third largest market for offshore wind comprising of 15 operational wind farms totalling over 1.7GW.
Danish Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities Dan Jorgensen said, “Through our strong partnership, Denmark will continue to support the ambitious offshore wind buildout in New York in the coming years.
“At the same time Denmark will benefit from experiences gained from the greening of New York’s economy and its strong focus on offshore wind over the coming years. We are proud to be able to work with New York on its tremendous journey towards a clean energy future.”