NineDot Energy plans to build battery energy storage in Brooklyn - New York Business Journal

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NineDot Energy plans to knock down several retail buildings in Brooklyn to make way for its newest clean-energy facility.

NineDot Energy plans to knock down several retail buildings in Brooklyn to make way for its newest clean-energy facility.

The New York City urban clean-energy company intends to demolish structures at 2138-2152 Flatbush Ave. in Brooklyn's Marine Park neighborhood to a build a 14,000-square-foot facility for a battery-energy storage and solar system development, according to city records that became public this week. The system will be capable of charging from and discharging into the New York power grid.

Battery-energy storage systems aim to integrate clean energy into the power grid while reducing the use of fossil-fuel based plants, NineDot states on its website.

Queens-based architecture firm JLS Designs is working with NineDot on the project. It is expected to begin operating in April 2025.

"The site will be closed in by screening to match the aesthetic of the neighborhood," NineDot said in a filing.

The company is based at New York University's Urban Future Lab in Manhattan, which is run in collaboration with the New York City Economic Development Corp. Founded in 2015, the energy company now has more than 30 full-time employees throughout the city.

With its new Marine Park facility, NineDot plans to engage the community with "workshops for students to learn about climate change and energy," the organization said in its filing. NineDot estimates that the project will generate more than $10 million in tax revenue over the course of a decade.

The buildings along Flatbush Avenue have been home to retail businesses Roxelana Furniture and Lighting Palace. NineDot bought the properties in March from three companies affiliated with Jack Aini for a total of nearly $7 million, according to New York City records made public then. That is $1.5 million more than the $5.5 million acquisition costs initially projected as part of the project.

NineDot entered a $7.1 million mortgage on the property with SolaREIT, a Virginia-based solar and storage real estate investment company.

The project itself is set to receive $39 million in funding: $16.4 million from NineDot's own equity plus $22.6 million through a commercial loan. The company announced earlier this year that it had secured $225 million in equity financing to build its battery energy storage projects.

NineDot's other clean-energy facilities are located in the Bronx, Staten Island and Long Island. The energy company is also planning to develop another nearby site in Marine Park at 2118 Flatbush Ave., filings show.

New York City Industrial Development Agency, a subsidiary of NYCEDC, is assisting NineDot with the development. Benefits that NYCIDA offers includes property tax abatement for up to 25 years, mortgage recording tax reductions, and sales tax waivers for purchases of materials and equipment related to construction.

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