The New York Public Service Commission (PSC) has announced that, as of February, it is increasing its “Systems Benefits Charge” by ninety-two percent. The charge is paid by electricity users to fund the New York Energy $mart program—a group of public policy programs in the areas of energy efficiency, energy demand reduction, research and development, and energy affordability for low-income utility customers. The decision extends the charge for five years and increases the amount collected annually from $78.1 million to $150 million.
In addition, the PSC decided to increase funding for wind, solar, and biomass energy sources and for energy conservation, providing $47.5 million over five years to develop large-scale wind farms and encourage the use of small wind turbines on farms and rural homesteads. The funding is expected to result in construction of more than 200 megawatts of wind turbine generating capacity in New York State, enough to meet the annual energy needs of 84,000 homes. The funding increase is nearly four times above previous funding levels.
For more information, visit the PSC’s Web site. A wind status report for New York and the United States is available in PDF format at the American Wind Energy Association’s Web site.
