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Treating Communities as Partners in the Clean Energy Transition

On Monday, June 8, from 12:00 to 1:00 P.M., New Yorkers for Clean Power Renewable Energy Speaker Series hosted, Dr. Dominic Balog-Way, Co-Director of Cornell University’s Risk Communication Research Group and co-author of a white paper on community engagement for renewable energy development. The title of the talk is: “Treating Communities as Partners in the Clean Energy Transition.”
The clean energy transition depends on strong relationships between renewable energy developers and the communities that host projects. Yet even well-designed projects can encounter conflict, delays, and opposition when local concerns are not addressed effectively. Drawing on three decades of research and case studies from across New York State, Dominic presented key findings from a white paper on strategic community engagement. Meaningful engagement depends on developers, communities, advocates, and public officials working together. As a result, the report offers valuable insights for anyone interested in strengthening public engagement, building trust, and improving decision-making on renewable energy.
During the presentation we learned what research tells us about trust, fairness, transparency, community concerns, and the conditions that help create more constructive dialogue. The session also explored how developers, advocates, and communities can work together to support both successful clean energy projects and the places people call home.

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Battery Energy Storage & Project Siting in New York | Featuring NYSERDA & ORES

This recording is from NYCP’s renewable energy speaker series, Monday, May 11, from 12 to 1 P.M., with our special guests Camille Warner from NYSERDA and Sarah Crowell from ORES.

Camille is a senior project manager at NYSERDA, and Sarah Crowell is Senior Advisor for Policy and Communication at ORES. During their presentation, they explained the BESS siting process and the role ORES has in permitting large-scale generation and transmission projects.

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Powering New York’s Solar Future: The Push for 20 GW by 2035 | NYSEIA

On Monday, April 13, from 12:00 to 1:00 P.M., NYCP’s Renewable Energy Speakers Series hosted Jonathan Cohen, the Policy Director for the New York Solar Energy Industries Association (NYSEIA). Jonathan explained solar legislation currently under consideration in Albany, including the Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power (ASAP) ACT (Senate S6570A). New York surpassed its 6 GW goal more than a year ahead of schedule, in October 2024! The state is now well on track to meet the Governor’s expanded goal of 10 GW by 2030, with over 3.4 GW under development. With this rapid installation of distributed solar, it is time to increase the goal to 20 GW by 2035. Listen to the recording to understand why New York should pass the bill this session and how we can do it.

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Battery Energy Storage Systems [BESS] in New Paltz and Neighboring Communities

There’s over 5 BESS projects being considered in Ulster County and the greater Hudson Valley region. Watch and hear from Dr. Jefferey Seidman, Vassar College, and Dan Murray, Energy Safety Consultant, and retired Chief in Charge of HazMat at FDNY; they will discuss how BESS systems work, why they’re needed, and what they mean for our communities.

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United Solar Energy Supporters: Power of the Sun Webinar

Go to usesny.org for more info

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY. – Dr. Richard Perez – Senior Research Associate Atmospheric Sciences Research Center Univ of Albany. Perez has produced more than 200 journal articles, conference papers and technical reports, and he holds two U.S. patents on methods of load management using photovoltaics.
AGRIVOLTAIC – Solar Farming co-developing the same area of land for both solar photovoltaic power as well as for agriculture- Lexie Hain/Lewis Fox – American Grazers Association

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Energy Storage & Plug-In Solar: What’s Next for New York | NY-BEST & Bright Saver

This recording is from NYCP’s renewable energy speaker series, Monday, March 9, from 12 to 1 P.M., with our special guests Claudia Villar-Leeman from NY-BEST and Cora Stryker from Bright Saver.

Claudia is the Senior Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs at the New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium (NY-BEST). She explained how our electricity grid works, why energy storage is critical to supporting reliability while keeping electricity bills down, and recent initiatives to support storage in the state, including a recent bill that would have large BESS projects reviewed by the Department of Public Service: S.5506 (Kavanagh)/A.8378 (Levenberg).

Cora Stryker is the cofounder of Bright Saver, the first and only nonprofit dedicated to making plug-in solar accessible to all Americans. Cora explained plug-in (“balcony”) solar, told us about the Solar Up Now New York (SUNNY Act). We also learned how to encourage our legislators to support policies that build a cleaner Empire State.

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How Poughkeepsie got to “Yes” on grid-scale batteries | Vassar College Prof. Jeff Seidman

On Monday, January 12, from 12 to 1 P.M., NYCP hosted a practical guide to advocating for energy storage projects at town meetings. Our special guest was Vassar College professor Jeff Seidman, who drew on his successful effort to overturn Poughkeepsie’s energy storage moratorium. Dr. Seidman explained why the Hudson Valley is strategically crucial for energy storage, and why the area has become a flashpoint for energy debates, even within communities that are generally supportive of renewable energy. Most importantly, he presented compelling, persuasive arguments that we can use in almost any situation to support energy storage in our communities.

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Developing a 100% Renewable Energy Future

11.10.25 Dr. Richard Perez 100% Renewables
NYCP presents: Dr. Richard Perez, Senior Research Faculty, Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, SUNY Albany. He is discussing “Factors to Consider in Developing a 100% Renewable Energy Future.”

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Agri-Energy: Growing Power, Growing Food | Rebekah Pierce Agri-Energy

From the New Yorkers for Clean Power (NYCP) Renewable Supporters Speaker Series held on Monday, October 6, noon to 1 P.M., with our special guest Rebekah Pierce, for her presentation on Agri-Energy. Rebekah also discussed her new book, Agri-Energy: Growing Power, Growing Food (due for publication by Island Press in November).

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Solar Development & Land Conservation | Troy Weldy, Columbia Land Conservancy

This a recording from our Renewable Supporters Speaker Series on September 8, 2025. Our guest was Troy Weldy, President of the Columbia Land Conservancy, who spoke about water quality and wetlands preservation in the development of solar projects on agricultural land.

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