Long Island Power Authority (LIPA): When Sandy made landfall on Long Island, it crippled the region’s largest public energy system− the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA)− for the second time in just two years. With LIPA providing services to more than 90 percent of Long Island’s residents, disruptions to the system resulted in communities losing power for weeks.
The total match costs required to restore the LIPA system and others in the State from Superstorm Sandy (as well as Hurricane Irene) exceeds $200 million. In addition to rebuilding and repairing LIPA’s system from recent storms, additional resiliency measures are needed so that future events do not further compound existing costs. As a public entity, LIPA is eligible for federal programs, including FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) Program. The Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR) will also assist LIPA and other eligible public utilities with rebuilding, repairing, and making more resilient elements of the system that were directly impacted by the storms.
NY Prize Microgrid Competition: Recognizing the impacts of power outages on residents, businesses and communities, GOSR works to assess the post-storm functionality of critical energy infrastructure. Through the efforts of the NY Rising Community Reconstruction (NYRCR) Program−alongside interagency coordination with New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA)− GOSR began to develop innovative solutions to address power outages that also met citizen-driven recovery needs. Partnering with NYSERDA to create the NY Prize competition, GOSR strives to inspire a new generation of local power, while seeking to repair damaged energy systems and increase the resiliency of the State. Together, GOSR and NYSERDA will challenge communities, businesses, entrepreneurs and electric utilities to design and implement community-based microgrids, which offer energy independence as well as local power generation and distribution.
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