brownsville arts center update

NYSERDA Awards Over $29M to Aid Decarbonization Efforts in New York

More than $29 million has been awarded to 15 innovative projects through Round XIV of the Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) initiative. Administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the initiative is helping New York reduce statewide carbon emissions, promote economic development and create new opportunities in communities throughout the state. The projects, seven of which are located in NYS designated disadvantaged communities, were awarded through participation in one of the two NYSERDA programs, the Building Cleaner Communities Competition (BCCC) or the Commercial and Industrial (C&I) Carbon Challenge.

“Innovative solutions like those awarded today are transforming how we design, operate and power buildings across New York State,” said NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris. “Retrofitting existing structures and processes with carbon reducing strategies and breaking ground on cutting-edge new construction is how the state will stay at the forefront as we move toward a clean energy economy.”

The C&I Carbon Challenge is a competitive program that provides funding to large energy users such as manufacturers, colleges, universities, health care facilities and office building owners in New York State to implement clean energy projects that reduce carbon emissions. Projects may utilize a combination of energy or manufacturing process efficiency strategies, carbon capture technology, low-carbon fuel utilization, renewable generation or energy storage.

BCCC, previously known as the Carbon Neutral Communities Economic Development (CNCED) program, was created to showcase real-world examples of clean and resilient economic development projects that utilize technologies that advance decarbonization goals, provide comfortable spaces for users, and serve critical community needs. Previous winners have included the Underground Railroad Interpretive Center in Albany, Highland Passive House in Highland, and Timber Trails Forest Farm in Canandaigua.

The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, one of the grant recipients, will modernize their facility in Buffalo.
The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens, one of the grant recipients, will modernize their facility in Buffalo.

The 15 Winners

In the most recent round of the C&I Carbon Challenge, NYSERDA awarded $14.1 million for five projects located in Finger Lakes, North Country, New York City and Western New York including:

  • American Rock Salt Co.’s shift to using an electric continuous miner as an alternative method of extraction, decreasing fossil fuel consumption and reduce emissions in Mount Morris, NY.

  • Kraft Heinz Company reducing emissions facility-wide by 92% through equipment electrification, more efficient heating and installation of on-site thermal storage technology in Lowville, NY.

  • RED-Rochester’s elimination of vented waste steam, installing three solar PV arrays, and replacing centrifugal air compressors with state-of-the-art machines, in Rochester, NY.

  • Skyven Technologies, an expert industrial decarbonization firm, will work with Lactalis to install an efficient, electrified heat system capable of reaching high temperatures at their plant in Buffalo, NY.

  • The EME Consulting Engineering and Architecture Group’s design and development of the largest geothermal heating and cooling system in the Northeast for Fordham University at their Rose Hill Campus in the Bronx, NY.

NYSERDA also awarded more than $15 million for 10 winning BCCC projects located in the Capital District, Mid-Hudson, Mohawk Valley, and New York City including:

  • The Beacon MultiService Center’s adaptive reuse expansion project to a proposed Passive House certified building in East Harlem, NY.

  • The Brownsville Arts Center, a new all-electric, high-performance 28,000-ft2 building that will be Passive House certified located in Brooklyn, NY.

  • The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens’ modernization project in Buffalo, NY, which will demonstrate high efficiency design and will minimize emissions during the new construction process.

  • Chester Agricultural Center Farmwork Housing’s construction of a new mixed-use, affordable all-electric housing development that is proposing Passive House certification in Chester, NY.

  • Hamilton College’s construction of a new 41,000-ft2 computer and data science facility as a proposed all-electric project in Clinton, NY.

  • Hawthorne Valley’s rehabilitation of four education buildings totaling more than 60,000 ft2 to become carbon neutral in Ghent, NY.

  • The HEArts Community Center’s adaptive reuse of a vacant, 23,577-ft2 historic building into a community center in Bronx, NY.

  • The Schenectady Environmental Education Center adaptive reuse of a long-vacant building to be a net-zero facility in Schenectady, NY.

  • The Tunnel, a new 34,000-ft2 high-performance mixed-use project in Port Jervis, NY.

  • Ulster County’s Public Safety construction of a new communications building that will incorporate ground-source heat pumps and a roof mounted solar that will supply 25% of the building’s electrical needs in New Paltz, NY.

The Hawthorne Valley Association's facility in Ghent.
The Hawthorne Valley Association's facility in Ghent.

For more information about NYSERDA’s current funding opportunities please visit NYSERDA New Construction and Development and stay up to date on energy-saving programs and incentives by joining the NYSERDA newsletter.

To learn more about the programs mentioned and winning project details please visit:

The top image is a rendering of the Brownsville Arts Center Brooklyn.

Author: Jay Fox
Categories: Article, Award