The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority has launched a request for proposals (RfP) seeking new renewable energy capacity.
Announced by Kathy Hochul, Governor of New York, the ninth RfP aims to accelerate the deployment and construction of clean energy across New York.
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For that reason, this newest RfP will seek to intensify efforts to advance shovel-ready projects, “with a focus on qualifying projects that seek to access existing federal tax credits that will expire.”
This approach will aim to accelerate the permitting, interconnection, financing and contracting processes to allow as many projects as possible to reach construction quickly, according to NYSERDA.
With the passing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, solar projects will be required to start construction by 4 July 2026 – or be operational by the end of 2027 – in order to receive tax credits in a “safe harbour” mechanism. The US Treasury Department released guidance on the new “safe harbour” rules last month, which tightened the definition of “start of construction” for projects to still be eligible for tax credits.
“While the federal government takes us backwards on energy policy, New York will not be thwarted in its commitment to clean energy. By directing our state agencies to move projects across the finish line, we are seizing every opportunity to leverage federal incentives, reduce costs for ratepayers, and build a more resilient, sustainable and reliable energy grid,” Hochul said.
Projects developed in this latest solicitation are expected to deliver more than $5 billion in clean energy investment and create over 2,500 jobs across New York, according to NYSERDA.
This latest RfP is under NYSERDA’s 2024 Tier 1 Renewable Energy Standard solicitation, which seeks to procure 5.6 million Tier 1 eligible Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), with each REC equalling one MWh of electricity generation.
Previous iterations of the solicitation ended up awarding mostly solar PV capacity, with last year awarding 2.2GW out of more than 2.5GW for solar PV, while in 2023, solar accounted for 1.5GW of the combined 2.3GW of large-scale renewable energy contracted.
Moreover, solar PV or other renewable energy projects co-located with energy storage, will require a minimum output of 5MWac for the energy storage element.
More details on the solicitation and how to participate can be accessed here. Applications will be open until Tuesday 21 October 2025 for the first step, while the deadline for the second step is set on Thursday 04 December 2025. Awarded results will be notified in February 2026.
