Assemblywoman Amy Paulin Wins Energy Policy Champion Award From Energy Storage North America
Scarsdale – Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (D-88) is proud to announce that she has won the Energy Policy Champion Award presented by Energy Storage North America.
Paulin, who is the chairperson of the New York State Assembly Energy Committee, was honored on Tuesday in San Diego at ESNA 2017, the Energy Storage North America Conference and Expo, for grid-connected energy and storage in North America. ESNA 2017 teamed with the Global Energy Storage Alliance and the World of Energy Storage to bring together policy makers, utilities, commercial and industrial customers and storage industry stakeholders for the four-day conference that included site tours and workshops.
The Champion Awards recognize individuals from the utility and policy sectors who have demonstrated leadership in advancing the role of energy storage to achieve a cleaner, more reliable, and secure electric power grid.
“It is my honor to accept the Policy Champion award,” said Paulin in a videotaped statement to the conference attendees. “I am truly humbled to be recognized by such a distinguished group of policy, technology and market leaders.
“When I first became the Chair of the New York State Assembly Energy Committee in 2013, I had no prior experience with energy policy. I had a lot to learn but luckily I was able to meet with experts, engage with other policymakers and attend some workshops to get up to speed. This conference is an invaluable resource for policymakers and others in the field to connect and to keep up to date on the most recent storage technology and projects.”
Paulin has been an active leader in increasing the creation, use and storage of sustainable energy in New York State. She sponsored three bills in the recently completed legislative session that passed both houses and are currently awaiting Governor Andrew Cuomo’s signature.
One bill A.6571/S.5190 directs the Public Service Commission (PSC) to establish an Energy Storage Deployment Program that would provide a regulatory framework by which the Commission could begin the program, including setting a target for installations. The bill would encourage more people to install storage systems while sending a market signal to facilitate a robust storage market in New York.
The second bill A.288/S.3745 would require utilities to file an electric vehicle charging tariff with the PSC that would allow a customer to purchase electricity solely for the purpose of recharging an electric vehicle. This would enable either a time-of-day or off-peak rate to be offered to customers, thus encouraging customers to charge their vehicles at times that are most beneficial for the grid.
The last bill A.260/S.4069 would expand the 15-year real property tax exemption for solar, wind, and farm waste technologies to include electric energy storage equipment and systems. This will ensure that energy storage is treated on par with renewable energy technologies.