Brooklyn
Closed

Integrating Safer Energy Storage for Dense, Urban Environments

Background

Electrifying our cities will require distributed energy storage solutions that are custom built to accommodate the density and complexity of urban environments. New energy storage models and associated regulatory frameworks will be critical to ensure that electrification enhances urban mobility networks rather than making them more inaccessible or unsafe.

Our Thesis

Opportunity Spaces

Safer Energy Storage for Dense, Urban Environments

Testing and validating safer energy storage technology, which conforms to FDNY and NYC Department of Buildings regulations, is critical for creating the right technology mix to scale distributed energy resources in NYC. Potential use cases may include: outdoor storage, indoor storage for a building, or integration with rooftop solar energy systems.

Pilots in this focus area will support real-world power needs and generate valuable case studies that help to navigate NYC’s current regulatory approval framework, as is required for scaling energy storage in NYC.

Showcase Community Impacts of Energy Storage

Simulating the impacts of behind-the-meter energy storage deployment within a local community will generate data that showcases energy storage projects as safe, technically and financially feasible, and delivering clear benefits to the host community—ultimately advancing the development of these projects. Use cases include: quantifying backup power potential, modeling the energy cost savings,  revenue generation, environmental impacts of systems, and additional benefits to the local economy. 

Pilots in this focus area will aim to model the impacts of an energy storage deployment that centers on the priorities of local communities to provide compelling insights and learnings, and guide a just transition to a sustainable energy future.

Demonstrate Novel, Emerging Energy Storage Solutions

Demonstrating energy storage solutions in locations in NYC that fall outside of FDNY and Department of Buildings jurisdiction creates an opportunity to test novel, emerging energy storage technologies in a less restrictive environment. Potential use cases should inform new approaches for urban energy storage and may include: indoor deployments, resiliency demonstrations, tests of hyper-safe technologies, thermal, mechanical, or kinetic energy storage, alternate battery chemistries, long-duration storage, and other emerging technologies. 

Pilots will include KPIs around technical feasibility, cost analysis, ease of installation, and interconnection with the grid. Additionally, opportunities to leverage pilot sites to raise public awareness about the benefits of energy storage systems will help to set the stage for energy innovation at scale in NYC.

Integrate Electric Vehicles (EVs) and Energy Storage Assets

Exploring the interaction between energy storage, EVs, buildings, and generation assets in NYC can help unlock the full potential of EVs as part of an integrated energy future. Potential use cases may include: validating EVs as back-up energy sources at scale, testing the benefits of energy-storage-enabled EV charging infrastructure, modulating EV charging with intermittent renewable power output, or testing the potential of energy storage to optimize the system of EVs, DERs, and generation.

Pilots in this focus area will aim to showcase how the energy storage capacity of EV batteries can be leveraged as Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) or how integrating energy storage with EV charging infrastructure can lessen grid strain during peak demand.

Are you a startup addressing these challenges?

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Are you an industry leader, government, or investor looking to accelerate your R&D?

Become a Partner
Are you building technology, systems, or services that address these challenges?

Who should apply?

We are seeking companies working on solutions including but not limited to:

  • Innovative energy storage design, such as safer lithium-ion energy storage, disaggregated energy storage assets or energy storage technology that can be classified as mechanical or appliance equipment
  • Electrochemical battery storage alternatives (non lithium-ion)
  • Non-electrochemical energy storage and alternative energy formats suited for urban environments (tidal, gravity, etc.)
  • Distributed energy resource (virtual power plant) software to connect physical assets
  • Vehicle-to-X technologies (hardware and software) - Battery-enabled EV chargers and stationary storage assets designed to enhance EV charging
  • Thermal energy storage innovations, particularly those suited for urban applications
  • Simulation or modeling software for large-scale urban energy storage projects, such as digital twin solutions, technologies that capture aggregate benefits of systems on buildings, campuses, and communities, etc.
  • Asset operation software to remotely manage and optimize energy storage alongside buildings, and generation and charging assets
Apply Now

Why This
Open Call Matters

Open Call Launch Date
4/15/2022
Open Call Closing Date
6/1/2022

Resources

Office Hours
Presentation Deck

About the Partner(s)

NYCEDC

New York City Economic Development Corporation is a mission-driven, non-profit organization that creates shared prosperity across NYC by strengthening neighborhoods and growing good jobs. NYCEDC works with and for communities to provide them with the resources they need to thrive, and invests in projects that increase sustainability, support job growth, develop talent, and spark innovation to strengthen the City’s competitive advantage.

CON EDISON

Con Edison is taking a leadership role in the delivery of a clean energy future by building and operating reliable, resilient, and innovative energy infrastructure, advancing electrification of heating and transportation, and aggressively transitioning away from fossil fuels to a net-zero economy by 2050. The company has a 2-megawatt battery system in Ozone Park, Queens that helps the company keep service reliable at times of peak demand for power. The company also has three 1-megawatt systems at customer properties under an innovative demonstration project. Those systems are on City Island, on the North Shore of Staten Island, and in Woodside, Queens.

Pilot Sites

Benefits

Build & Pilot 

  • Structured strategy and support from Newlab to advance your pilot concept and solicit feedback and input from key stakeholders
  • Ongoing support from the Newlab team, NYCEDC, ConEdison and a network of relevant stakeholders to navigate the complex pathways for approval of energy storage projects in NYC 
  • Collaboration with potential pilot site hosts to design, scope, deploy and monitor pilot projects

Investment & Exposure

  • Total grant funding pool up to $240K divided among participating companies to support pilot development and offset associated costs; no equity taken
  • Close collaboration with potential pilot site hosts interested in de-risking energy storage technologies in NYC
  • Access to Newlab's wide network of over 600 angel investors interested in early stage deep-tech companies
  • Meetings with NYCEDC’s team working across disciplines to make NYC’s economy stronger and more inclusive

Updates

Our point of view

Energy
New York City
Government
NYCEDC and Newlab Announce New Resilient Energy Cohort Advancing Urban Energy Storage
The partners hosted leaders from the energy storage industry, city government and community organizations at Newlab to introduce the startups participating in the new Resilient Energy cohort to advance pilot projects across New York City.
Energy
Partners
Government
Events
Resilient Energy Showcase Highlights New Distributed Energy Opportunities
Newlab, NYCEDC, and ConEd welcomed the energy storage community in New York to our event space.

Learn more about Newlab

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