New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced a huge achievement in NY’s journey to meeting the targets outlined in its climate agenda. New York has fulfilled half of its solar goal, with 3 gigawatts (GW) of distributed solar installed across the state—enough to power over half a million homes. This milestone reaffirms NY’s status as one of the leading solar markets nationwide.
This 3 GW milestone marks the halfway point on the path to Gov. Cuomo’s NY-Sun target of 6 GW of distributed solar by 2025. This 6 GW target is one of a number of climate-related goals mandated by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). Combined with the 2.7 GW worth of projects currently in the development pipeline, the 3 GW installed so far brings us to 95% of the total 6 GW goal.
New York Community Solar
These pipeline projects are expected to come online in the next two years, adding enough extra capacity to power 477,000 homes. As things stand, this statewide project pipeline consists of over 90% community solar. This equates to more than 800 projects which will expand solar access throughout New York—especially for those in low-to-moderate income communities. Through the expansion of the community solar sector, more homeowners and renters who are unable to install panels at their property will be able to access clean, renewable energy.
To celebrate the 3 GW milestone, Lieutenant Governor Hochul joined NYSERDA officials at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the largest community solar project in the Mid-Hudson Valley. The 6.1 megawatt (MW) solar array is located in the Town of Bethel and owned by Generate Capital. It will produce 7.8 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of solar energy annually—enough to power 1,000 homes.
New York Solar Growth in 2020
Encouragingly, 2020 was NY’s most productive year ever in terms of solar installations, with 549 MW of capacity completed—ranking first in the nation for community solar installations and second for total installations. Many of these projects were supported and made possible by NY-Sun incentives. In addition to the climate benefits offered by increased solar deployment, new clean energy projects contribute significantly to both short- and long-term economic development in the state—a vital boost as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. 
NY-Sun Progress So Far
The NY-Sun program has been a major factor in the increased development of solar projects across the state. Thus far, the NY-Sun initiative has achieved the following:
- Installed solar at 145,000 homes across every county in the state
- Provide more than $1 billion in incentives
- Leveraged $5.3 billion in private investment
- Driven over 2,100% solar growth in NY
- Delivered enough renewable energy to power more than 522,000 New York homes
- Fostered 12,000 solar industry jobs
- Contributed to the cost of solar dropping 69% in 10 years
- Committed $30 million to projects benefiting environmental justice and disadvantaged communities
To go solar in New York, reach out to YSG today. YSG has been working extensively in the NY solar sector for over a decade now, developing residential, commercial, and community solar projects throughout the entire state. To learn how you could benefit from solar energy, call now at 212.389.9215 or send us an email. Additionally, if you are a landowner interested in generating extra revenue with your unused land, you might want to consider a solar land lease. YSG is currently seeking suitable land for solar farm projects in the following counties across New York:
- Albany
- Cattaraugus
- Chautauqua
- Chenango
- Clinton
- Columbia
- Delaware
- Dutchess
- Erie
- Essex
- Franklin
- Fulton
- Genesee
- Greene
- Hamilton
- Herkimer
- Jefferson
- Lewis
- Livingston
- Madison
- Montgomery
- Niagara
- Oneida
- Orange
- Orleans
- Otsego
- Putnam
- Rensselaer
- Saratoga
- Schenectady
- Schoharie
- St. Lawrence
- Sullivan
- Ulster
- Warren
- Washington
- Westchester
- Wyoming
YSG Solar is a project development company responsible for commoditizing energy infrastructure projects. We work with long-term owners and operators to provide clean energy assets with stable, predictable cash flows. YSG's market focus is distributed generation and utility-scale projects located within North America.
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Featured Photo by Jose Matute on Unsplash.
