Clean Energy Standard

For the compliance year 2018, the price of the Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) is $17.01/MWh, and the price of the Alternative Compliance Payment (ACP) is $18.71/MWh.

Tier 2- Maintenance Tier

Tier 2 will serve as a maintenance program to support existing renewable energy resources that existed under the previous NY RPS. Eligibility for Tier 2 is limited to run-of-river hydro up to 5 MW, wind, biomass direct combustion that were in a commercial before January 1, 2003, and was originally included in New York’s baseline of renewable resources when the RPS program was first adopted. Each facility seeking funds under Tier 2 must demonstrate that the facility will cease operations without maintenance contracts. Tier 2 maintenance contracts will be awarded on a case-by-case basis, and funds issued will be tailored to the needs of the facility. 

Tier 3- Zero Emissions Credit requirement

Tier 3 of the CES program is designed to support the state’s existing nuclear facilities as one of the zero-emission resources necessary to achieve New York’s goal to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030. The Zero Emission Credit (ZEC) provides credit for the zero-emissions environmental attributes of a qualified nuclear generation facility in the state. In addition to Tier 1 RECs, the LSEs must purchase Zero- Emissions Credits (ZECs). Beginning April 1, 2017, each LSE will be required to purchase ZECs from NYSERDA based on the percentage of their electric load. 

NYSERDA will offer qualifying nuclear facilities a multi-year contract to purchase Zero Emission Credits (ZECs) until March 21, 2029. The ZEC price will be adjusted every two years. The first two years of the ZEC price has been set to $17.48 per MWh. The subsequent ZEC price will be adjusted every two years according to the formula developed by the commission. 

Compliance Mechanism 

Under the previous RPS program, New York used a central procurement model where New York State Energy Research and Development (NYSERDA) executed long term procurement of renewable energy credits (RECs) from renewable energy facilities. NYSERDA retired these RECs as compliance for the RPS and there were no requirements for the LSE. For CES, the NYSERDA will continue its role as a central procurer of RECs but unlike previous RPS the compliance requirements have been assigned to the LSEs. NYSERDA will continue to procure RECs through scheduled annual solicitations outlined in compliance and procurement schedules. All the load-serving entities (LSE) are obligated to procure and retire the proportion of their load through renewable energy via purchase and retirement of qualifying Renewable Energy Credits (RECs). 

A REC represents the environmental attributes of 1 MWh of renewable energy generated. NYSERDA administers the New York Generation Attribute Tracking System (NYGATS) which tracks and issues the RECs in the state. The LSE will be able to meet their obligations by purchasing the required amount of Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) from NYSERDA or by purchasing qualified RECs from other sources. Starting from 2018, NYSERDA will sell Tier 1 RECs to LSEs every quarter, as available. For the compliance period 2018, the price of the RECs is set at $17.01/MWh. The lifetime for the RECs is not specified; more guidance regarding the treatment of the RECs will be provided by the PSC in subsequent implementation orders. 

An LSE that does not meet their obligations will be required to pay an Alternative Compliance Payment (ACP) to NYSERDA. The ACP is not viewed as a penalty for non-compliance, but as an alternative avenue for compliance. The rates for alternative compliance payments are $18.71/MWh for the compliance year 2018 and will serve as a maximum cap for the potential cost for a REC. 

More details of the CES program will be published by the PSC in its implementation orders. 

*Load Serving Entities (LSE) include all the investor-owned distribution utilities, energy service companies (ESCOs) Community Choice Aggregation programs (CCAs), jurisdictional municipal utilities, and self-supplying customers through NYISO. Micro-grids and CHP generators are not considered to be LSEs. 

**The PUC initiated the REV proceedings in April 2015 following Governor Cuomo’s vision towards a comprehensive reform in the State’s power industry with a broad goal to align electric utility practice and the regulatory paradigm with the technological advances. The REV initiative seeks to create the next generation of utility business models that is customer-centric and is driven by technological innovation and private investments to provide resilient, affordable, and clean energy in the State. Other initiatives that are part of the REV include the Green Bank, NY Sun, and BuidSmart NY. 

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