During the competitive selection process, bonus points were awarded to renewable energy projects that demonstrated a commitment to the creation of good local jobs and the use of locally-manufactured components and content. The rigorous, two-step review process also included non-price criteria to evaluate the applications. The criteria included scoring for the developer's experience in constructing and financing renewable projects, the developer's previous project development experience in New York, and the projects development status related to grid interconnection, permitting and site control. Proposals were reviewed and scored by a technical committee of professional independent evaluators. The response by 30 developers proposing 88 projects provided NYSERDA with the opportunity to select the best and most cost-effective proposals.

In addition to the 22 utility-scale solar farms, other projects include three wind farms and one hydroelectric project. One of the wind farms features an energy storage component, marking the first time a large-scale renewable energy project has done so in New York State. Several projects will break ground as early as April 2018 and all projects are expected to be operational by 2022, adding over 1,380 megawatts of capacity and generating over 3,200,000 MWh annually.

These projects represent a significant step in advancing the Governor's Clean Energy Standard to obtain 50 percent of New York's electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030. Award recipients were chosen from a pool of 88 applications from 30 clean energy developers. The state's $1.4 billion investment is expected to spur over $3 billion of direct investment over the life of the projects, with support for these new projects provided by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. The weighted average award price for this solicitation is $21.71 per megawatt hour of production over the 20-year term of the awarded contracts, which is 11 percent less than the price awarded through the last two prior year's awards.

Richard Kauffman, Chairman of Energy and Finance said, "The number of responses and the quality of projects proves that REV is working to animate the clean energy market. All New Yorkers deserve to reap the environmental and economic benefits of an energy system powered by renewables. These projects help us get there."

New York Secretary of State Rossana Rosado said, "New York is leading the way by producing the nation's first-ever utility-scale offshore wind farm and we want to continue our partnership with federal agencies to move this forward. Governor Cuomo's forward-thinking leadership charts a course for a sustainable and responsible future, free from the real threats offshore gas and oil drilling poses to our coastal communities."

Alicia Barton, NYSERDA President and CEO said, "This is an historic moment for New York as we make the largest purchasing commitment to renewable energy by a state in the history of our country. Achieving 50 percent of New York's electricity from renewable sources by 2030 is a cornerstone of Governor Cuomo's nation-leading agenda to fight climate change, and I look forward to watching these projects create jobs, expand our clean energy economy and provide New Yorkers with clean, reliable power for decades."

DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said, "While the Federal government's energy policies are moving in exactly the wrong direction, with potentially devastating impacts on New York, thankfully Governor Cuomo is leading the nation forward in the transition to a clean energy economy. Oil and gas exploration, drilling, and potential spills are incompatible with New York's multi-billion dollar coastal economy. Rather than endangering the environmental and economic health of our coasts, New York is carefully and responsibly expanding renewable energy to support the state's comprehensive efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tackle climate change."

Gary LaBarbera, President of the Greater New York Building Construction Trades Council said, "On behalf of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, I commend Governor Cuomo for his leadership to address climate change while also supporting working men and women of New York. Today's announcement demonstrates that New York can tackle the challenges of climate change head on while creating good paying middle class careers in construction,"

Anne Reynolds, Executive Director of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York said, "It is exciting to see Governor Cuomo's nation-leading clean energy policies drive on-the-ground wind and solar projects and real job creation. These first contract awards under the new 50% Clean Energy Standard show that New York is serious about making progress towards the 50% by 2030 target."

The 26 large-scale renewable energy projects by region are:

Capital Region

Columbia Solar 1, Columbia County: Hecate Energy will build a 60 MW solar facility in the town of Copake.

Darby Solar, Washington County: Granada Solar will build a 19.99 MW solar facility in the town of Easton.

Flint Mine Solar, Greene County: Hudson Energy Enterprises will build a 100 MW solar facility in the town of Coxsackie.

Greene County Energy Properties, Greene County: Greene County Energy Properties will build a 19.9 MW solar facility in the town of Coxsackie.

Pattersonville, Schenectady County: Teichos Energy will build a 19.99 MW solar facility in the town of Pattersonville.

Central New York

Janis Solar, Cortland County: Granada Solar will build a 19.99 MW solar facility in the town of Willet.

Sky High Solar, Onondaga County: Cypress Creek Renewables will build a 19.99 MW solar facility in the town of Tully.

Finger Lakes