Large-Scale Thermal

Description of goods to services to be bid: 

The Large-Scale Thermal program provides cost-share for design of large single building and multiple building projects, including thermal energy networks, that serve as replicable examples for significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from heating, cooling, and hot water, using approaches that are clean and resilient, minimize energy consumption, maximize energy recovery, and offer an equitable approach to building decarbonization.

A large-scale thermal system uses heat pumps to move thermal energy from sources, such as the ground, surface water, wastewater, and waste heat, to provide heating and hot water to one or more buildings and to move thermal energy to sinks, such as the ground, and surface water, to provide cooling to one or more buildings.

Designs for multiple buildings, collocated on a single property or contiguous properties, may address the heating, cooling, and hot water of each building in any configuration, including on a standalone basis or a configuration known as a thermal energy network. A thermal energy network includes distribution pipes that connect multiple buildings together and to thermal energy sources and sinks. There are many technical and economic factors that affect the optimal design of a system that serves the heating, cooling, and hot water of multiple collocated buildings. Proposals to this solicitation must demonstrate that the system configuration proposed for design funding represents the optimal technical and economic solution.

If changes are made to this solicitation notification will be posted on NYSERDA’s website at:www.nyserda.ny.gov/funding-opportunities

Eligibility/Qualifications Requirements/Preferences: 

Projects which support Low- or Moderate-Income communities and/or Disadvantaged Communities will be given preference.

This solicitation has funding to support project sites statewide, including end-use customers who pay the System Benefits Charge (SBC) and project sites with end-use customers who do not pay the System Benefits Charge. Clean Energy Fund (CEF) funding can only be awarded to projects that serve end-use customers who pay the SBC on either a portion of or on their entire electric bill at the thermal usage site (existing sites that can demonstrate they currently pay SBC, existing sites that can demonstrate they will connect to the utility grid and will pay SBC, and new construction sites that can demonstrate they will pay SBC when they begin occupancy of the new building).

Single building projects must provide heating, cooling, and hot water to at least 150,000 square feet of conditioned space to be eligible. Multiple building projects must provide heating, cooling, and hot water to at least 2 buildings with at least 250,000 square feet of conditioned space, collocated on a single property or contiguous properties, to be eligible. Project sites with existing buildings and new construction are eligible.

The solicitation has a specific set of proposer eligibility criteria relating to prior experience.