New York’s progress hitting its clean energy goals may be cloudy, but there’s one beam of light cutting through: solar.
The state has installed almost 5.7 gigawatts of solar power, just shy of its target of 6 gigawatts by 2025, according to the latest figures through April from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
The 6 gigawatts of solar — enough to power over a million homes — are part of the state’s mandates under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which requires New York State to make 70% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030.
The state is poised to miss that deadline by about three years, as THE CITY previously reported, and lags behind in other parts of its plan to slash planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. But New York is on track to exceed its solar goal, thanks to the projects in the pipeline: another 3.4 gigawatts are at “an advanced state of development,” according to NYSERDA.
The panels perched on the rooftops of homes and businesses are known as “distributed solar,” with the power they generate used near where they’re located.
“These projects are small, so they can be built quickly,” said Noah Ginsburg, executive director of the New York Solar Energy Industries Association. He added that the economic conditions that derailed some larger solar and wind projects didn’t rock those smaller solar projects quite as much, and the permitting process for them is much less onerous.
Plus, programs, policies and incentives at the state and federal levels — thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act — have made installing solar more financially feasible.
Solar Savings
Available rebates and tax credits are making this a bright time for the solar-curious.
The Inflation Reduction Act offers a 30% federal tax credit, plus other bonuses that Anika Wistar-Jones, senior director of Here Comes Solar at the nonprofit Solar One, called “incredibly generous.” In addition, New York State offers up-front rebates and other tax credits for solar projects. New York City property owners can also get a property tax abatement, thanks to a law the governor signed in September.
“You can get easily 70 to 90% of the system covered by some level of incentive, in most cases, which is amazing,” Wistar-Jones said. “Solar will pay for itself, without tax credits, in 10 years usually, or maybe less, and it lasts for 25 or more years.”
Among the places taking advantage of the generous solar incentives: A New York City domestic violence crisis shelter, which Solar One is helping to outfit with rooftop solar panels, pending permit approvals. The cost is about $132,000, with a lifetime savings of $206,000 and payback within 14 years, according to figures by Solar One.
“When we took a look at our energy consumption, our energy bills, we were spending a lot. If we can float the money for solar now, that, at the end of the day, will reduce our energy bills,” said Cynthia Amodeo, the chief executive officer of Barrier Free Living, which runs the shelter. “Then we can spend more money on our survivors than [on paying] Con Edison.”
Beyond that, Amodeo said she hopes solar will help the shelter become greener.
“Doing solar was more of a long-term solution to get our energy grade up. We proudly display a D-plus,” she said with a laugh.
In the process of working on the shelter’s solar project, Amodeo and her husband decided to get solar panels for their home, relying on many of the same incentives. The panels, which cost $24,000 to install, have all but zeroed out her electricity bill, saving her at least $400 a month, she said.
Making a Difference
The shelter’s project is one that may help boost solar rates within New York City, where currently just under 10% of the solar installed statewide is located.
New York City’s space constraints and regulations have historically made it tough to build solar. But the city is over halfway to achieving a goal set under the de Blasio administration to install 1 gigawatt of solar by 2030, and regulatory changes could spur progress.
Local Law 97, for instance, which imposes caps on carbon emission from most large buildings in the city, is driving some of the solar growth as property owners seek to comply with the law, Ginsburg said.
And more solar is also likely in New York City in the coming years thanks to zoning changes included in the City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality plan, adopted last December, that would allow solar to be installed on more roof space and above parking lots in the five boroughs. Those changes also make it easier to build community solar projects, to which people can subscribe to get electricity bill credits even though they may live somewhere other than where the solar panels are located.
But without larger solar and offshore wind projects, smaller solar projects on rooftops won’t be enough to meet New York’s energy needs, said Marguerite Wells, executive director of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York, a renewable energy industry group. Still, they play an important role in shifting electricity production from fossil fuels to renewables.
“Some people have a question in their mind: ‘Does it really make a difference if I sign up for community solar, or if I put panels on my roof or in my yard?’ Is that actually helping?” she said. “And the answer is unequivocally yes.”
