NineDot’s Battery Storage Projects are One Part of Solving the Energy Affordability Crisis
NineDot Energy, the leading developer of community-scale battery energy storage systems in the New York City metro area, today announced its participation in the New York Statewide Solar for All (S-SFA) program, an innovative initiative that generates funds for households needing assistance to pay their energy bills. NineDot expects to generate over $60 million in energy credits for low-income New Yorkers within one decade.
The New York Public Service Commission adopted the S-SFA program in May 2024 as a streamlined way to share the financial benefits of community solar and storage projects with utility customers enrolled in energy affordability programs (EAPs). Despite its name, the S-SFA program also includes the participation of community-scale battery projects, greatly expanding future savings for energy-burdened NYC households.
“New Yorkers are facing an affordability crisis, and energy storage can help alleviate that,” said David Arfin, NineDot Energy CEO and Co-founder. “In addition to making the grid cleaner and more resilient, our urban energy projects help with energy affordability and advance environmental justice where we live and work. Through the S-SFA program, we expect our growing pipeline of grid-connected batteries to contribute over $60 million in bill savings over the next decade for lower-income households, while also expediting the retirement of dirty peaker plants that belch pollution in predominantly lower-income and historically-marginalized communities.”
Projects enrolled in the S-SFA program will contribute a percentage of revenues (generated from energy exports to the grid) to an S-SFA savings pool that is distributed annually to utility EAP customers who also reside in a disadvantaged community. Those households will automatically receive a credit on their energy bills from this program beginning in 2026 – the more projects that come online and enroll in S-SFA, the larger the EAP savings pool will be.
NineDot Energy has already enrolled more than 60 current and future projects, representing over 300 MW, in the S-SFA program. Some of these projects are now generating revenue and therefore funds for the EAP savings pool. Based on the estimated operating schedules of this pipeline, NineDot’s projects could contribute more than $60 million for distribution to EAP participants just in the next decade.
NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, “NYSERDA is proud of the savings that the Statewide Solar For All program is providing to New Yorkers who need it most. By including battery storage projects among eligible technologies in this program, we’re demonstrating how a diverse mix of resources can bring reliable and more affordable energy to neighborhoods all across our state.”
Energy storage also makes our communities cleaner and healthier. BESS can reduce reliance on high-emissions “peaker” plants, outdated facilities which have been found to cause asthma and other illnesses. BESS will help maximize our use of carbon-free, intermittent sources of energy like solar and wind. And at times of peak demand, like hot summer afternoons, BESS also helps deliver energy where it’s needed most to protect New Yorkers’ health, keeping lights on and air conditioners running in neighborhoods where the grid is under strain. For example, one 5 MW site is able to power about 5,000 NYC households for four hours on a hot summer day when the electric grid is under stress.
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