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NYPA launches collaborative of energy experts to promote emerging technologies to expand state's energy economy

by jmaloni

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Fri, Feb 7th 2014 11:00 pm

New public-private collaborative - EE-INC - launches website and seeks information from manufacturers

The Energy Efficiency Innovation Collaborative (EE-INC), a public-private partnership of energy industry leaders spearheaded by the New York Power Authority, is looking to improve energy efficiency in New York state buildings, and spur economic growth in emerging technologies, bringing new and expanding businesses to the state.

"The goal of this collaborative is to spur the growth of the most promising energy-saving innovations, with a focus on those that match the energy needs of public buildings," said Gil C. Quiniones, NYPA president and CEO. "Encouraging highly promising and expanding energy efficiency companies will also offer increased economic development benefits for New York state. In short, it means jobs."

"Gov. Cuomo has directed the Power Authority and other state entities to ensure that New York is the leader in developing and deploying the latest energy-efficiency products," said Joanne M. Mahoney, NYPA vice chair and Onondaga County executive. "EE-INC will strive to accomplish these goals by uniting organizations that are well-versed in designing programs to expand the use of new energy-efficiency technologies."

NYPA, which has plans to finance more than $800 million in energy efficiency projects over the next several years in support of Cuomo's "Build Smart NY" initiative, is looking to incorporate emerging energy-saving technologies into the projects it is undertaking at schools, colleges and universities, offices, health care facilities and other public buildings throughout the state.

Through a request for information, EE-INC is seeking commercial, but not yet widely deployed, energy-efficiency technologies that can be considered for use in these projects.

The RFI process is currently open-ended, but it will have periodic cut-off dates to allow for proper review of the submitted information. The first cut-off is scheduled for March 25.

For more information on EE-INC and the RFI process, go to www.eeinc-ny.com.

Other members of the collaborative include the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems (SyracuseCoE), the Institute for Building Technology and Safety and the Electric Power Research Institute. NYPA will also collaborate with New York's Empire State Development agency to link and leverage EE-INC with Start-Up NY.

"This latest 'Build Smart NY' initiative demonstrates how the state's clean-energy sector can stimulate economic development, assist state-owned buildings reduce energy use, and showcase the benefits of energy-saving technologies," said John B. Rhodes, NYSERDA president and CEO. "We look forward to working with NYPA and the other partners in this initiative to advance Gov. Cuomo's broader energy and economic goals."

"EE-INC seizes the exceptional opportunity for New York state to create more jobs and save more energy by connecting two of Gov. Cuomo's major initiatives: promoting regional economic development and 'Build Smart NY,' " said Ed Bogucz, executive director of SyracuseCoE. "We look forward to engaging our extensive network of partners from throughout the state to help NYPA and EE-INC achieve the full potential of this exciting program."

"IBTS is proud to be a major contributor to the efforts of NYPA to advance use of emerging technologies in government facilities and economic growth for New York state," said Shyam Choudhary, chief operating officer at IBTS. "As a nonprofit organization, our involvement with this program promotes the goals of Gov. Cuomo and IBTS' mission to be a leading service provider to all levels of government, community and industry."

"This innovative NYPA initiative will accelerate deployment of energy-efficiency systems that will lead to increased conservation and sustainability," said Arshad Mansoor, senior vice president for research and development with EPRI. "It also accelerates innovation in developing new technologies and applying emerging EE technologies in New York and other states."

Cuomo's "Build Smart NY" initiative originated from Executive Order 88, which calls for a reduction in energy-use in state government buildings by 20 percent by 2020. The statewide initiative aims to save millions of dollars for taxpayers and create thousands of jobs while significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The SyracuseCoE team includes Syracuse University, Taitem Engineering, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, CDH Energy, City University of New York, the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Brookhaven National Lab. Additional partners include Infosys International, CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity, MEG Control Products, CHC Construction, Binghamton University and Stony Brook University.

The IBTS team includes the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Courtney-Strong Inc., Quality Environmental Solutions & Technologies and Building Insight.

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