PR Newswire·Nov 12, 2026, 8:37 AM ET

New Study Finds that New York Can Unlock Cost-Effective Community Solar and Energy Storage Deployment with Flexible Interconnection

A new study by NYSEIA, EPRI & NY-BEST funded by NYSERDA finds flexible interconnection can unlock billions in economic value & accelerate clean energy deployment across New York.
EPRI's analysis of 1,115 substations shows flexible interconnection allows connecting more community solar & storage without expensive traditional substation upgrades.
Flexible interconnection uses advanced monitoring to adjust generation or storage during grid constraints, utilizing existing infrastructure more efficiently.
Upstate New York community solar hosting capacity could increase by 71% to 97% using this method.
Traditional methods to add the same incremental solar capacity would cost approximately $7.4-7.9 billion more than the flexible solution.
Con Edison territory could see cost-effective battery storage hosting capacity increase by 174% to 274% with flexible interconnection.
The report identifies implementation considerations for utilities & policymakers, aligning with legislative directives under the Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power (ASAP) Act.
Both National Grid & Avangrid are currently seeking approval to expand their successful flexible interconnection pilots to additional substations.