BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA (By Steve Stewart, Energy Analytics Institute, 13.Apr.2026, Words: 404) — PowerBank Corporation executed a lease agreement on a 5 MW AC hybrid solar plus battery energy storage project known as the NY-Conklin Hill Rd project, in upstate New York.
The project is expected to be eligible for incentives under the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) NY-Sun Program and the retail storage incentive program.
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The rapid growth of wind and solar power and the rising demand for electricity from data centers are making batteries a necessity. They store surplus renewable energy for when it’s not windy or sunny, and maintain a balance between energy supply and demand, PowerBank said on 13 Apr. 2026 in an official statement.
There has been a 90% drop in the cost of batteries over the last 15 years as new factories have come on line, resulting in significant growth in this sector globally, according to PowerBank.
Prelim screening analysis
The company is in the process of initiating the preliminary screening analysis as part of the interconnection process. Assuming receipt of interconnection approval, the company will work to complete the permitting process and secure the necessary financing for the construction of the project.
Once completed, the project will likely be operated as a hybrid community solar plus energy storage project. Community solar is a solar project with access to the local electricity grid. Once the project is connected and generating electricity, energy from the site feeds into the local power grid.
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Depending on the size and number of panels the project has, dozens or even hundreds of renters and homeowners can save money from the electricity that is generated by the project.
By subscribing to a project, an electricity customer can earn credits on their electric bill every month from their portion of the solar that’s generated by the project, accessing the benefits of solar and energy storage without installing any equipment at their location. This allows electricity customers to realize a reduced cost per kilowatt-hour from the power they consume versus standard utility rates.
The project advances New York’s path to 10 GW of distributed solar and 6GW of energy storage by 2030. The state leads the US in community solar capacity, having achieved the New York state climate act 6 GW solar goal in the fall of 2024.
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By Steve Stewart reporting from Baton Rouge. © 1999-2026 Energy Analytics Institute (EAI). All Rights Reserved.
