Newsworthy

New FDNY W-27 COF for Group R3 (1-2 Family Residential) ESS Installations

FDNY has established the W-27 Certificate of Fitness (COF) required for supervision of stationary ESS in Group R-3 residential (1-2 family home) occupancies. The W-27 COF is issued to individuals who demonstrate their qualifications by passing a written exam at FDNY headquarters.  The FDNY provides free study materials that should be reviewed by applicants before taking the examination.  Of note, the W-27 COF applies “citywide” and allows the certificate holder to supervise multiple residential ESS installations. Click here for additional information, study materials, and application guidance.

NYC Regulatory Updates

FDNY

FDNY has established the W-27 Certificate of Fitness (COF) required for supervision of stationary ESS in Group R-3 residential (1-2 family home) occupancies. The W-27 COF is issued to individuals who demonstrate their qualifications by passing a written exam at FDNY headquarters.  The FDNY provides free study materials that should be reviewed by applicants before taking the examination.  Of note, the W-27 COF applies “citywide” and allows the certificate holder to supervise multiple residential ESS installations. Addintinal Information, study materials, and application guidance can be found on the nyc.gov site.

City of Yes- Zoning

12/6/2023 | Zoning | The New York City Council has passed the City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality (COYCN) zoning text amendment to fix outdated provisions that inhibit the growth and use of green infrastructure and technology in New York City.

FDNY

11/27/2023 | COA | The FDNY released an updated and expanded list of ESS products that has received the Certificate of Approval (COA) – a rigorous assessment of a product’s design, construction, and safety performance.  The COA establishes installation criteria for the product allowing a reduced approval timeline from FDNY.  This list can be accessed via the FDNY Business website’s Certificate of Approval webpage. 

NYC DOB

11/15/2023 | Filings |  DOB launced new filing types for Solar, Energy Storage, and Green Roof Jobs in DOB NOW:BUILD. DOB will no longer accept BIS filings for any of these job types. DOB training materials for hese new filing types can be accessed here.

NYC DOB

11/07/2022 | Code | A local law to bring the New York City Mechanical, Fuel Gas, and Building Code up to date with 2015 editions of the International Code Council’s I-Codes was enacted as Local Law 126 of 2021. The 2022 NYC Construction Codes go into effect on November 7, 2022.

New and Updated NYC Resources

For a complete list visit Resources 

5/1/2024, Storage | DOB has shared guidance for ESS PTA filings for Alt-CO jobs, as reflected in this ESS PTA Applications – Interim Process for Alt-CO Job Filings document for new job filings, as well as a retroactive process for ESS jobs already in the review queue. 

4/25/2024, Storage | This high-level 2nd edition New York City Energy Storage Systems Zoning Guide provides a comprehensive overview of the recent ESS-related zoning changes in NYC and summarizes zoning requirements applicable to both Accessory & Non-Accessory ESS.

2/22/2023, Storage | The CUNY Smart DG Hub is pleased to announce the publication of a brief guidance document for submitting an FDNY Certificate of Approval (COA) application for ESS products. The COA Getting Started Guide, developed with support from FDNY and the Mayor's Office of Climate and Environmental Justice, is aimed at helping energy storage industry stakeholders, particularly within the manufacturing, product supplier and integrator ecosystems, understand and navigate the steps for submitting an application.

12/30/2021, Storage | The FDNY Installation Approval Site Plan for Large Systems is a storage site plan checklist developed in collaboration that provides guidance on creating site plan materials, a key component of the permitting application package for Large ESS. Includes visual aids examples.

12/30/2021, Storage | The Smart DG Hub has collaboratively developed the New York City Energy Storage Systems Zoning Guide. This new high-level guide to understanding zoning provisions for Energy Storage Systems (ESS) includes a comprehensive overview of recent ESS zoning changes, applicable to both Accessory & Non-Accessory ESS. 

11/3/2020, Storage | The DG Hub is pleased to release the 2020 Updated Energy Storage Permitting and Interconnection Process Guide for New York City: Lithium-Ion Outdoor Systems, as well as the UL 9540A Data Utilization Guide for NYC: Flow Charts. Both can also be found on the Storage Resources Permitting page. 

10/13/2020 |Sustainable CUNY’s Smart DG Hub has been working for several years with UL, the FDNY, NYC DOB and subject matter experts such as DNVGL to create a streamlined pathway to integrating storage into the New York City market. Recently UL launched a free online database recognizing manufacturers who have completed testing under the 9540A Standard for Test Method for Evaluating Thermal Runaway Fire Propagation in Battery Energy Storage Systems. NOTE: users must register for a free account on the UL site in order to access, then search 9540A, click “AACD.GuideInfo” then “View UL Certified Products” in the left column.

2/14/2020, Storage | This CUNY Smart DG Hub Storage Permitting 2.0 webinar can help developers gain a better understanding of evolving market dynamics and preparations for safety, siting & zoning compliance/requirements in the NYC energy storage market.

2/13/2020, Storage | The CUNY Smart DG Hub developed a NYC Battery Zoning Matrix chart that can be found on the Storage Resources Permitting page to provide battery storage project developers with a quick reference guide to assess the potential for additional special permit obligations under new zoning requirements. 

2/5/2020, Storage | The full presentation materials from Sustainable CUNY’s NYC Energy Storage Stakeholders Roundtable in November of 2019 are available on the Storage Resources Permitting page. This presentation represents the culmination of the 6-month effort that took place from March-August 2019 to identify the best available insights into 9540A test data utilization for the NYC energy storage project approval process.