Opportunity Title: Climate Action for New York Municipal Utilities and Rural Cooperatives
Opportunity Number: RFP-4942
Description:
There will be three categories of projects available within this RFP. Proposers may submit proposals in multiple categories, but each must be submitted as a separate proposal.
Category A: Climate Impact Vulnerability Assessments and Resilience Planning
Up to $100,000/award for technical assistance for assessments, analysis, and planning with services provided by a NYSERDA pre-qualified contractor. The objective of Category A is to leverage NYSERDA’s resources and procurement process to provide electric municipal utilities or rural electric cooperatives with technical assistance resources by offering those services to a winning proposal under Category A. As such, awards under Category A will result in a Memorandum of Understanding with the proposer, under which the proposer and the NYSERDA Project Manager will coordinate the execution of the assessment study by a pre-qualified contractor. Awards under Category A will not result in any funding with proposers bidding into this particular RFP. Rather, a winning proposal under Category A will strive to form the basis of a subsequent technical assistance contract with a NYSERDA pre-qualified contractor to conduct the assessment study that would be funded and managed by NYSERDA. This pre-qualified contractor will be competitively selected by NYSERDA from a contractor pool previously procured under NYSERDA’s RFQL “Technical Assistance in Support of the NYS Clean Energy Transition” (RFQL 4810). This pre-qualified contractor will be selected using the contents of the winning proposal from Category A. The resulting technical assistance deliverables from the ensuing technical assistance engagement will be provided to the winning proposer under Category A of this RFP. Under its Memorandum of Understanding with NYSERDA, the winning proposer will commit to assisting NYSERDA with managing and reviewing these deliverables for the benefit of the electric municipal utility or rural electric cooperative. Awards in this category will fund vulnerability assessments and analyses that consider weaknesses in the generation, transmission, or distribution of power to users. These assessments should address critical weaknesses in the power grid that can result in cascading failures, as well as consideration of who is at risk in the event of grid failure or disruption, taking consideration of disadvantaged communities and critical services (e.g., hospitals, nursing homes, etc.). Assessments and analysis should consider current vulnerabilities (e.g., aging infrastructure) as well as future vulnerabilities linked to climate impacts and shifts in electricity usage (e.g. increasing demand from EVs and building electrification) that may be required to meet decarbonization goals. This category may include developing plans that reduce the risks of shock or stress events or reduce the impacts of such events on people, infrastructure, and services in the municipality or service area. Plans will coordinate across key institutions and communities (e.g. for emergency preparedness and response; critical load and demand management plans i.e. for temperature extremes, resilience investment planning). Proposals to this RFP under this Category shall include a proposed statement of work to be performed by a pre-qualified contractor. This statement of work should have a sufficient level of detail that it can be readily utilized, with modification and input from NYSERDA, for executing a contract. See Section III, Proposal Requirements, for additional information.
Category B: Renewables and Innovation Analytics / Pre-Feasibility / Feasibility Studies
Up to $200,000/award for assessments, analysis, and studies for integrating renewables or adopting an innovative climate technology. Awards in this category will fund projects to conduct analysis, pre-feasibility, or feasibility studies in preparation for developing a renewables and/or innovative climate technology project. The scope of work for this project should support the proposer’s climate mitigation goals and address the proposer’s approach to New York’s decarbonization goals as codified in the Climate Act. The project may also consider climate risk and resilience benefits. Successful proposals will demonstrate an innovative technology or process supporting New York’s renewables, decarbonization, and environmental justice goals as codified under the Climate Act. Successful proposals will have high potential for replication driving future investment in resilient and decarbonized communities, as well as sound technical merit demonstrating significant opportunities for greenhouse gas reduction.
Category C: Demonstrations of Net Zero / Deep Decarbonization Solutions
Up to $500,000/award for demonstrations of net-zero and/or deep decarbonization solutions that benefit New York State. Awards in this category will fund projects that demonstrate the application of net-zero emissions technology or other deep decarbonization solutions supporting New York’s decarbonization and environmental justice goals as codified under the Climate Act. To be eligible, proposals must demonstrate an innovative technology or process in the service territory of a municipal utility or rural cooperative utility in New York State. Successful proposals will have high potential for replication driving future investment in deep decarbonization and net zero solutions, as well as sound technical merit demonstrating significant opportunities for greenhouse gas reduction.
Eligibility:
Project proposers may include one or more, electric municipal utilities or rural electric cooperatives. Entities other than a municipal utility or rural cooperative may apply on their behalf, provided that the proposal includes a letter of commitment from at least one New York State municipal utility or rural cooperative partner. This solicitation is for the benefit of electric municipal utilities or rural electric cooperatives only. Proposals may be submitted by a non-utility or cooperative but must ultimately be for the benefit of one or the other. Any project that is not based in a municipal utility or rural cooperative’s service territory or does not have a letter of commitment from at least one New York State municipal utility or rural cooperative partner, will be ineligible.
Award Details:
Total Amount Available: $3M
Maximum Award: $100K - $500K (depending on category)
Submission Details:
Application Deadline: 4/18/22
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