$15M offered in latest round of state’s carbon reduction effort

The latest round of the state’s Commercial and Industrial Carbon Challenge makes $15 million available to businesses and institutions for reducing carbon emissions. 

The C&I Carbon Challenge is aimed at reducing emissions at commercial and industrial businesses and institutions, combating climate change, and boosting economic growth, with the statewide goal of reducing 85 percent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.  

The Carbon Challenge provides awards ranging from $500,000 to $5 million to partially offset clean energy project costs for the largest commercial and industrial energy users in the state, with an aggregate 12-month average demand of 3-megawatts or greater. The funding is available to eligible businesses and institutions including manufacturers, colleges, universities, healthcare facilities, and office-building owners. 

Eligible project proposals may employ a combination of energy or manufacturing process efficiency strategies, carbon capture technology, renewable generation, or energy storage. Awardees are selected based on their plans for project implementation, institutional commitment to sustainability, overall level of greenhouse gas emissions reduced, and their potential to beneficially impact disadvantaged communities, according to a statement from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. 

“The launch of the C&I Carbon Challenge, now in its fifth year, demonstrates Governor Hochul’s commitment to reducing emissions in the state’s building stock while driving economic growth,” Doreen M. Harris, NYSERDA president and CEO, said in the statement. “This funding will allow more commercial and industrial owners across the state to adopt clean energy measures that will help them to realize cost-savings while reducing harmful emissions from their operations that will improve the air quality in their communities.”

Since its inception, the C&I Carbon Challenge has made 15 awards to companies and higher education institutions that will cumulatively reduce 2.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, equal to 12 months of annual tailpipe emissions of 580,00 cars.  

The deadline to apply for the new round of funding through the state’s Consolidated Funding Application is July 28. 

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