O&R Utilities looking for proposals for microgrid in New York service area
Orange & Rockland Utilities (O&R) is looking to develop a microgrid to maintain electric service reliability for customers in several New York communities, including Washingtonville, and parts of Blooming Grove and Salisbury Mills.
O&R is seeking proposals from prospective business partners on how they can maintain electric service reliability in the area served by the company’s Blooming Grove substation. The solution may involve installing solar panels, fuel cells, energy efficient equipment, batteries, and other Distributed Energy Resources (DER).
O&R is seeking capacity of up to 17 megawatts for roughly 5,125 customers (4,914 residential, and 211 commercial and industrial) served by this substation. The site will also operate as an engineered microgrid in the event of a contingency situation. Through the use of innovative DER technologies, O&R can maintain system reliability and defer construction of new capital project infrastructure. It will also help reduce emissions from power plants.
“New technologies give us new options,” O&R Vice President of Operations Francis W. Peverly said. “Using those options, we can work with customers to help them manage their usage, get renewable energy and protect the environment.”
This project is aligned with New York State Public Service Commission’s (NYSPSC) goals of building a cleaner, more resilient and affordable energy system for residents. Orange and Rockland Utilities — a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc., — provides electric service to approximately 300,000 customers in southeastern New York State and northern New Jersey.
