New York ready to buy-in on DERs and microgrids in effort to make the state a green hydrogen hub

The federal infrastructure bill set aside $8 billion to finance the creation of four green hydrogen hubs across the country. New York says it wants to be one of the hubs, and is ready to use the technology to power microgrids and other distributed energy resources in low-income neighborhoods, where back-up generators create pollution. 

As part of New York's annual state of the state report, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority says it is working to develop a program that would power local microgrids with clean green hydrogen. New York will try for funding from the federal bucket, and raise another $1 billion in private or public funding. 

Interim Gov. Kathy Hochul has placed energy sustainability and climate resiliency toward the top of her agenda, as the state, especially New York City, has been shown to be vulnerable to hurricanes, most recently Hurricane Ida, which flooded much of the country's most populous city.