Alloy's 44-Story Brooklyn Tower Will Run on Renewables

Alloy Development has announced that the 44-story residential tower it is building in Downtown Brooklyn–New York City’s first electric residential tower—will be powered with 100% renewable energy.

Brooklyn-based Alloy issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking to partner with a community solar developer to enroll the 100 Flatbush tower in community solar projects that will secure a 100% renewable energy supply for the building.

Alloy is the first developer to implement a rule issued last month by NYC’s Department of Buildings which allows building owners to tap into off-site solar power programs—identified in the regulations as “clean distributed energy resources”—in order to be in compliance with Local Law 97, which requires building owners to begin reducing carbon emissions starting in 2024.

In its RFP, Alloy is seeking a developer with large-scale community solar or storage projects that will be constructed within the next two years. NYC-based green energy non-profit Solar One is advising Alloy.

Alloy said in the RFP it also wants to enroll two condo projects it developed in Brooklyn, One John Street and 168 Plymouth Street, in the local distributed solar project it partners with for 100 Flatbush.

The developer said it prefers solar projects located in NYC but will consider any that are based in the territory of the utility Con Edison, including Westchester County.

The half-complete tower at 100 Flatbush is the first phase of a five-building mixed-use development known as the Alloy Block. The tower will have 441 apartments—369 luxury units and 45 designated as affordable—and 30K SF of ground-floor retail.

Residential units at 100 Flatbush will feature induction cooktops and heat pump dryers. Base-building systems including hot water heating and HVAC will be completely electric, eliminating carbon emissions from apartments and the overall building.

The second phase of the Alloy Block will include an 840-foot-tall residential, office and retail tower and two new schools. The project also encompasses two preserved historic structures.

In December, NYC banned gas-power hookups in new buildings, effective in December 2023 for buildings under seven stories and in 2027 for taller buildings. When the City Council debated the measure, Alloy CEO Jared Della Valle issued a statement strongly endorsing the gas ban.

“Banning new natural gas connections will not only significantly reduce new carbon emissions and improve air quality in our neighborhoods — it will also make New York City a leader in sustainable development nationally and internationally,” Valle said.