Developer: Cedar Lane battery would be privately funded, could use NYSERDA incentives

During the presentation and subsequent Q&A, New Leaf Energy described the project's basic economics and funding sources. Corina Solis said New Leaf is a for‑profit developer and that projects typically receive about 10% of construction cost support via NYSERDA programs and may be eligible for federal investment tax credits. "Our projects receive funding from New York State," Solis said; she also clarified that New Leaf the company does not itself receive direct recurring state operating subsidies.

Solis explained the company's business model: the owner/operator charges into local markets and dispatches stored energy to reduce peak demand; Orange and Rockland (the local utility) sets technical interconnection and dispatch rules. She said New Leaf's revenue stream comes from selling capacity and energy into those market mechanisms rather than levying a separate local charge. The developer maintained that privately financed storage installations can be less costly to ratepayers than large utility upgrades that would otherwise be paid through rates.

Residents asked whether local bills would fall; Solis said the project would not reduce existing local electricity bills and that the system is intended to prevent future infrastructure‑driven bill increases by avoiding some substation upgrades. Several residents sought more precise numbers on construction cost, host‑community payments and any direct financial benefits to locals; Solis said those details would be part of future host‑community negotiations if the project advanced.