Renewable Heat NY, a $27 million initiative
\naimed at building a sustainable, high efficiency,
\nlow-emission wood heating sector
\nin New York, was announced by state officials
\nin late July.<\/p>\n
Renewable Heat NY will help develop
\nmore clean technology manufacturing based
\nin New York, a skilled installer base, and
\nsustainably harvested wood fuels from state
\nforests–supporting economic development
\nwhile preserving the environment, state officials
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
State Sen. Betty Little of Queensbury said,
\n“There’s a lot to be gained by growing the renewable
\nwood-fired heating systems sector. We have abundant supply in the Northeast,
\nthe product is renewable and not something
\nbeing imported from overseas. Technology is
\nimproving efficiency and reducing pollution.
\nAnd, it’s creating new job opportunities. This
\nis a great public-private partnership that will
\nbenefit communities throughout the state.”<\/p>\n
“The wood-fired heating industry is an
\nimportant source of energy in Upstate New
\nYork, and by launching Renewable Heat NY
\nwe are helping to shape this growing sector
\nwith a focus on clean, sustainable, and
\nhighly-efficient practices,” said Gov. Andrew
\nCuomo. “This initiative is the most comprehensive
\nin the nation, and I am confident
\nthat it will support the continued evolution
\nof a vibrant wood heating sector in rural
\nareas of the state.”<\/p>\n
Officials said Renewable Heat NY promotes
\nthe highest efficiency class of wood fired
\nheating technologies in the nation,
\nand is expected to make New York State a
\nnational leader in developing this low-emissions
\nindustry. Environmental and public
\nhealth benefits, along with a reduction in
\nfossil-fuel use, an increase in sustainable
\nforestry, and the expansion of the wood pellet
\nand equipment supply chains, will benefit
\ncommunities across the state.<\/p>\n
U.S. Rep Paul Tonko said the public-private
\npartnership between NYSERDA, DEC
\nand local businesses “builds infrastructure
\nthat will allow us to heat our homes more efficiently,
\nat lower costs during and with local
\nsources during the harsh winter months.”<\/p>\n
He said as an assemblyman and former
\npresident and CEO of NYSERDA, he worked
\nclosely with community leaders and local
\nsmall businesses to ensure they were on
\n“the cutting edge of the energy sector and
\ninnovation economy.”<\/p>\n
John B. Rhodes,president and CEO of
\nNYSERDA, said the initiative will lower costs
\nfor high-efficiency, low-emissions wood heating
\nsystems, and create greater acceptance
\nin the market. “NYSERDA will jump-start
\nthe initiative with large anchor projects,
\nwhich will help increase demand for wood
\npellets and decrease the costs for smaller
\nresidential and commercial customers as
\nthe market grows.”<\/p>\n
DEC Commissioner Joe Martens said his
\nagency is actively exploring ways to install a
\nwoody biomass system to supply the heating
\nneeds of DEC, the New York State Police and
\nthe Adirondack Park Agency at the State
\noffice Campus at Ray Brook.<\/p>\n
Officials said Renewable Heat NY will
\nreduce wood smoke, fine particle, and carbon
\nmonoxide emissions by offering incentives
\nto retire and recycle highly polluting
\noutdoor and indoor wood boilers and wood
\nstove technologies and replace them with
\nhigh-efficiency, low emissions wood heating
\ntechnologies.<\/p>\n
The program includes new residential
\nand commercial financial incentives and
\ntraining, available through NYSERDA, and
\nsustainable biomass harvesting guidelines
\nfor suppliers of wood biomass, which will be
\ndeveloped and promoted by DEC. Additional
\nelements of the initiative will be announced
\nin 2015, including research and development
\nsupport to drive innovation, further product
\ndevelopment and track improvements in
\nwood smoke emissions reductions.<\/p>\n
Incentive programs were launched to
\ndevelop higher performing residential pellet
\nstoves, residential and small commercial advanced
\ncordwood heating systems, and large
\nand small commercial pellet boiler heating
\nsystems. Incentives for small pellet boilers
\nwill be available for residential use in 2015.<\/p>\n
More information on the residential and
\ncommercial incentive programs is available
\nat: www.nyserda.ny.gov\/renewableheatny<\/p>\n
Officials said DEC will work with stakeholders
\nto evaluate, develop and adopt a
\nsuite of recommended “best management
\npractices” (BMP) specific to forest biomass
\nharvesting for power or heating, as well as
\nbroader sustainable forestry BMPs.<\/p>\n
Funding for Renewable Heat NY is made
\npossible through the Regional Greenhouse
\nGas Initiative (RGGI), the first innovative
\nmarket-based mechanism in the United
\nStates to cap and cost-effectively reduce the
\ncarbon dioxide emissions that cause climate
\nchange, according to NYSERDA.<\/p>\n
RGGI was the world’s first program to
\nauction the emission credits (rather than
\ngive them away for free) and invest the
\nauction proceeds in projects that conserve
\nenergy, save consumers money and support
\nthe transition to cleaner and more efficient
\nproduction of energy, officials said.<\/p>\n
NYSERDA is providing training for heating
\nsystem designers, installers, energy
\nauditors and code officials so they can
\nbecome proficient in the best practices for
\ninstalling and operating these advanced
\npellet boiler, cordwood boiler and pellet
\nstove systems. Training will be ongoing to
\nprovide the skilled workforce needed for
\nindustry growth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Renewable Heat NY, a $27 million initiative aimed at building a sustainable, high efficiency, low-emission wood heating sector in New York, was announced by state officials in late July. Renewable Heat NY will help develop more clean technology manufacturing…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[57,102],"class_list":["post-15486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-environment-development","tag-business-news","tag-ny-state"],"yoast_head":"\r\n