PowerBank Leases 5 MW Solar & Battery Storage in Upstate NY
- Energy Storage News Solar + Storage Integration
Marin Holt
- 0
- 6 minutes read
- Project Capacity: 5 MW AC
- Location: Upstate New York (NY-Conklin Hill Rd)
- Incentive Programs: NYSERDA NY-Sun + Retail Storage Incentive Program
- Company Pipeline: 100+ MW completed, 1 GW development pipeline
PowerBank Corporation (NASDAQ: SUUN) on April 13, 2026, announced it executed a lease agreement for the NY-Conklin Hill Rd project, a 5 MW AC hybrid solar plus battery energy storage system in upstate New York. The project is expected to qualify for incentives under the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority NY-Sun Program and the Retail Storage Incentive Program.
Project Details
The NY-Conklin Hill Rd project is a 5 MW AC hybrid solar plus battery energy storage system, the third PowerBank project announced in New York since January 2026. PowerBank previously executed leases for the NY-Holland Glnwd project (January 15, 2026) and the NY-Sapbush project (January 20, 2026), both also rated at 5 MW AC.
The company (Toronto, Ontario; NASDAQ: SUUN; Cboe CA: SUNN) describes itself as a leader in North American energy infrastructure development and asset ownership, with more than 100 MW of completed projects and a development pipeline exceeding 1 GW. PowerBank focuses on distributed and community solar projects in Canada and the United States.
New York State Incentive Programs
The NY-Sun Program and Retail Storage Incentive Program provide upfront incentives for distributed solar and behind-the-meter storage installations in New York. New York’s clean energy targets include 10 GW of distributed solar and 6 GW of energy storage by 2030. Projects like NY-Conklin Hill Rd contribute to those targets by pairing co-located solar and storage in a single installation under NYSERDA’s incentive structure, which offers higher incentives for hybrid projects.
Why It Matters
The rise of small-scale hybrid solar-plus-storage projects in upstate New York reflects a shift in the distributed energy market: state incentive programs now favor co-located solar and storage, making standalone solar developments financially less attractive. PowerBank’s rapid lease execution pace — three 5 MW AC projects announced in four months — indicates active land acquisition and permitting activity in NYSERDA’s NY-Sun service territory. For local utilities and distribution planners, this cluster of co-located storage projects introduces new behind-the-meter capacity that reduces net peak load and can complicate load forecasting if aggregate volumes become material.
Critical Perspective
Lease execution is a development milestone, not construction or commissioning. PowerBank’s press releases designate these announcements as “designated news releases” tied to its February 2026 prospectus supplement, indicating they carry disclosure obligations under securities law. Each 5 MW project represents a modest contribution to New York’s 6 GW storage target. The project’s ultimate timeline depends on NYSERDA incentive allocation, interconnection queue position with the local distribution company, and permitting — all of which have produced multi-year delays for projects of similar scale in New York in recent years.
Sources
- https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/powerbank-announces-5-mw-ac-distributed-solar-and-battery-energy-storage-system-project-in-new-york
- https://powerbankcorp.com/powerbank-announces-5-mw-ac-distributed-solar-and-battery-energy-storage-system-project-in-new-york/
- https://www.morningstar.com/news/pr-newswire/20260413to32260/powerbank-announces-5-mw-ac-distributed-solar-and-battery-energy-storage-system
