Governor David A. Paterson has announced that Stony Brook will lead the New York Energy Policy Institute (NYEPI), a key initiative from the Governor’s State of the State address. Working in partnership with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Syracuse University, this consortium will coordinate the work of New York’s leading energy research centers and experts and serve as a resource for the State’s policymakers.
“New York’s universities are fortunate to have some of the nation’s leading energy experts on their faculties, and the New York Energy Policy Institute will bring together the best and brightest minds in the energy field to help solidify New York’s standing as a leader in energy policy and analysis,” Governor Paterson said. “The public-private partnership we are forming today will help New York continue to be a leader in the new economy by building a clean energy economy that will create jobs and improve our environment in the future.”
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), which will oversee the NYEPI’s operations, has allocated up to $200,000 per year for up to three years to be matched by the consortium members. NYEPI will work with NYSERDA and other State agencies to conduct studies, produce policy analysis, and provide guidance on energy issues impacting New York now and in the future.
In addition, the consortium will coordinate efforts with energy experts at partner institutions from across the State, including City University of New York, Clarkson University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Hudson Valley Community College, Morrisville State College, The Rockefeller Institute of Government, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, the University at Albany, University at Binghamton, University at Buffalo, and the University of Rochester. Additional institutions and participants are anticipated.
The NYEPI will also advance Governor Paterson’s “45 by 15” initiative, one of the nation’s most aggressive energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives. By 2015, New York State will receive 45 percent of its electricity through energy efficiency and clean renewable energy—15 percent electricity savings from efficiency measures and 30 percent met by renewables. It is conservatively estimated that this initiative will create 50,000 new jobs throughout the State.
The NYEPI will benefit from Stony Brook’s existing technology programs, including its co-management of Brookhaven National Laboratory and its operations of the Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center. The Stony Brook-led consortium was chosen by NYSERDA following a competitive solicitation that attracted proposals from academic institutions across New York State.
“Through the Energy Policy Institute, the assets and expertise of our leading learning institutions will play a major role in shaping energy policy in New York State to increase the use of renewable energy and new technologies, such as Smart Grid, to help make our state more energy efficient and independent,” said Senator Darrel J. Aubertine, Chair of the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee. “From Stony Brook to Clarkson and the University of Buffalo to Syracuse to RPI, the input from these research centers across the state will help us build on the energy policy progress we’ve made from the establishment of a permanent energy planning board to new programs that implement key policies such as Green Jobs/Green NY.”
“Governor Paterson’s establishment of the New York Energy Policy Institute is a highly strategic initiative that will generate innovative clean energy solutions by uniting the most creative minds in the state,” said Stony Brook University President Samuel L. Stanley, Jr., M.D. “The institute is affirmation of our Advanced Energy Center model, which was developed to launch important partnerships between universities, industry, and government. Creating a statewide institute affirms that partnership model, and Stony Brook University is very proud to be taking a leadership role.”
The NYEPI will assist and complement existing State energy policy research, including programs at NYSERDA; New York State Department of Public Service; Long Island Power Authority; New York Power Authority; and New York State Foundation for Science, Technology, and Innovation, among others.
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