The state stepped in with a market-based contract in hopes of jump-starting the big battery construction that has so far proved elusive.
By Julian Spector, Canary Media, Sept 28, 2026
New York set an ambitious goal to eliminate fossil-fueled electricity by 2040. Doing so will almost certainly require widespread adoption of batteries to store renewable generation and make it available on demand, thereby reducing the need for fossil-fueled “peaker” plants. Yet the state has seen hardly any large-scale battery construction to date.
As of March, New York state contained just 80 megawatts of operational “bulk” storage, plus around 335 MW of small-scale batteries. That’s a far cry from the state’s goal of installing 1,500 MW by 2025, though officials claimed success by factoring in not-yet-built projects that had been awarded or contracted.
Now, New York is taking its biggest step yet to unlock the widespread grid storage that states like California and Texas have been enjoying for several years.
Eight grid battery projects won state contracts last week, which collectively will add 950 MW of non-emitting, on-demand power by 2030. That’s meaningful progress toward the state’s goal of 6 gigawatts by 2030. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority plans to run two more solicitations like this one to accelerate the momentum.