Challenge
As New York City and State push toward aggressive greenhouse-gas reductions and electrification, reliable and flexible energy storage becomes critical. The volatile demand patterns in NYC — including seasonal demand peaks — create grid stress and reliability challenges. A fast-deployable, grid-scale battery solution was needed to supply flexibility, store renewables, and avoid curtailment, while navigating strict new permitting requirements.
Solution
Catalyze delivered its first standalone BESS in NYC under the updated local energy-storage permitting regime. The Bronx BESS integrates four Tesla MegaPacks, providing 4.29 MW power and 8.58 MWh energy capacity. The system was constructed and brought online in just 171 working days, demonstrating an accelerated development timeline. Once operational, it began dispatching to supply electricity during high seasonal load periods and participating in grid-support services under a VDER stack agreement with incentives via NYSERDA.
This project is among the first megawatt-scale BESS installations fully approved under NYC’s updated regulatory framework — proof that large-scale energy storage is viable in dense, regulated urban environments. It marks a strategic expansion of Catalyze’s capabilities beyond solar and community energy into storage, enabling greater flexibility, resilience, and support for decarbonization goals across New York.
Result
- Provides flexible capacity to the NYC grid at key demand peaks
- Supports New York’s statewide energy-storage target of 6 GW by 2030, and the city’s GHG-reduction goals through cleaner, dispatchable storage
- Demonstrates BESS feasibility under stringent urban permitting — lays groundwork for future urban storage projects
