The New York State Energy Planning Board has released a draft State Energy Plan outlining a 15-year outlook through 2040, with recommendations for meeting the state's future energy needs. The plan sets ambitious targets for both utility-scale and distributed solar PV and energy storage projects. By 2040, New York aims to reach 35 GW of solar and 9 GW each of onshore wind, offshore wind and battery storage. In terms of energy storage, the state targets 6 GW of BESS by 2030 and 9.4 GW by 2040; as part of the state’s 6 GW Energy Storage Roadmap, New York’s first Bulk Energy Storage Request for Proposals (RFP) has just been launched, seeking to procure 1 GW of bulk storage capacity.

This announcement comes amid a broader national shift, as the US federal government has recently launched a review of decisions concerning solar and wind energy projects on federal lands. The review will cover rights-of-way, leasing, construction and operations plans, and other permitting processes for solar and wind developments. In addition, the phase-out of tax credits for wind and solar has been accelerated following the passage of the "One Big Beautiful Bill" by the current US administration.