Richard Kauffman

Clean Energy May 23, 2018

With 20 MWs (and counting), ‘Solarize’ initiative shines

By GREGORY ZELLER // A New York State program created to fund statewide solar-power initiatives is pumping out dollars and helping to pump up the Empire State’s supply of renewable megawatts. An update issued Wednesday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office shows the NY-Sun Solarize Initiative, launched in 2014 and administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, has supported 81 different statewide campaigns through its first three rounds of funding – backing…

Clean Energy April 20, 2018

Cuomo doubles down by speeding up emissions effort

By GREGORY ZELLER // Governor Andrew Cuomo is hitting the gas on his ambitious environmental agenda. The governor on Friday announced a dramatic acceleration of his energy-efficiency plans for New York State, including a comprehensive strategy to achieve significant greenhouse gas-emission reductions over the next seven years. Targeting annual efficiencies equivalent to the amount of energy required to power nearly 2 million homes, Cuomo’s revamped plan includes $36.5 million in new state investments that, according…

Clean Energy March 27, 2018

NYSERDA, Israeli innovators ink clean-energy pact

By GREGORY ZELLER // A new collaboration between New York State’s advanced-energy gurus and Israel’s top innovation agency will look to speed clean-energy breakthroughs to global markets. Speaking Tuesday at Advanced Energy Conference 2018 in New York City, Lt. Gov. Kathleen Hochul announced a new Memorandum of Understanding between the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the Israel Innovation Authority. The partnership will “accelerate the pace of innovation in the global (clean-energy)…

Environment June 2, 2017

Facing ‘reckless’ Trump, the Empire State strikes back

By GREGORY ZELLER // Despite President Donald Trump’s best efforts, the entirety of the trillion-dollar clean-energy industry won’t be leaving America for more forward-thinking lands – not if Gov. Andrew Cuomo and friends have their way. Still lamenting “the White House’s reckless decision to withdraw from the Paris accord” – an international global-warming agreement targeting worldwide greenhouse gas reductions, negotiated by 195 countries through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – Cuomo on…

Energy March 13, 2017

Pilgrim innovations trim energy costs, emissions

A relatively small footnote in New York State’s energy-efficiency annals will deliver lasting benefits to taxpayers and the air they breathe. A $1 million “energy-saving project” has been completed at the New York State Office of Mental Health’s Pilgrim Psychiatric Center, a 290-bed inpatient and outpatient facility located in Brentwood. The innovations – including enhanced boiler controls, high-efficiency outdoor lighting and improvements to the complex’s air-handling system – are projected to save $114,000 in annual…

Clean Energy July 16, 2015

Cuomo unveils community-based renewables program

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office announced a Shared Renewables Program on Thursday that aims to make clean and affordable energy available to millions of New Yorkers. The program, part of Cuomo’s State of Opportunity Agenda, provides financial assistance and other resources for homeowners, renters, schools and businesses looking to establish joint renewable-energy projects that cut costs and reinforce “clean” generation standards. Under the “community distributed generation” initiative, customers can join together to share power generated by…