The Long Island Power Authority and PSEG Long Island will soon present two new requests for proposals for energy generation on Eastern Long Island that local sustainability advocates hope will bring a new flood of renewable energy ideas to the table.
According to PSEG officials, the two requests for proposals, or RFPs, one at the end of the month and the other in the fall, will see proposals for 220 megawatts of energy generation from both renewable and traditional generation sources. At least 60 megawatts of that power will be directed specifically to eastern Southampton and East Hampton towns.
At the end of this month, PSEG will issue an RFP for only the South Fork east of the Shinnecock Canal, requesting proposals for the creation of 60 megawatts of new power generation, either from renewable energy sources, traditional generators, through energy storage, or in load reduction proposals from existing infrastructure.
“We want to make this technologically neutral to allow renewables and traditional sources to compete against one another,” PSEG Director of Energy Efficiency and Renewables Michael Voltz said last week.
Renewable energy advocates in East Hampton are hopeful that the company will find proposals for renewable energy generation, energy storage and load reductions most viable for the town, rather than the addition of new diesel-powered generators.
A New Jersey company has proposed two energy storage systems in East Hampton, one on Buell Lane, the other at the town airport.
“Better storage, we believe, is key,” said Frank Dalene, chairman of the town’s energy sustainability advisory committee. “Energy storage is really important to have with renewable energy because of peak demands and fluctuations. It can eliminate the need for fossil fuel power plants.”
The second RFP later in the year will be an islandwide appeal for 160 megawatts of only renewable energy generation. The proposal is the second part of a 280-megawatt RFP from 2012, of which PSEG and LIPA accepted only 120 megawatts worth of projects, including 3 megawatts that will be generated by three proposed solar panel systems in East Hampton Town currently in the planning stages.
“We’re really hoping for Deepwater Wind,” Mr. Dalene said of the giant offshore wind farm that has been proposed to be sited about 35 miles southeast of Montauk Point. The project has the potential to deliver more than 100 megawatts of power to Long Island, as well as to southern New England. This could generate power to more than 20,000 homes. The project was rejected by LIPA after the first RFP.
The requests for proposals is sent out by PSEG but the LIPA board will make the ultimate decision on which proposals will be accepted, after considering factors like costs and reliability.
on Jun 16, 2015