New York State becomes top community solar market
New York State reached a milestone this week, becoming the top community solar market in the United States with more than one gigawatt of community solar installed and operational.
“Reaching this nation-leading milestone – with more than one gigawatt of community solar installed – is a testament to New York’s aggressive pursuit of clean-energy alternatives that will supercharge our economy and bring us one step closer to a carbon-neutral future,” NY Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
The milestone was reached and commemorated on March 22 with a ceremony led by Lieutenant Gov. Brian Benjamin at a 7.5-megawatt community solar power and energy storage project in Glenville in Schenectady County. The project was developed by DSD Renewables, the owner and operator of the project, at a former landfill site. It was made possible through a collaboration with the Schenectady County Solar Energy Consortium. The consortium includes the County of Schenectady, City of Schenectady, Town of Duanesburg, Town Glenville, Town of Niskayuna, Town of Princetown, Town of Rotterdam, Village of Delanson, and Village of Scotia.
“Now, when those future generations of New Yorkers look toward today, they’ll know progress was made with them in mind. I’m proud to announce today that New York is the capital of solar power in the United States,” Benjamin said.
Community solar made up 70 percent of total solar installations across the state in 2021.
New York also has the largest distributed solar pipeline in the nation, with more than 708 projects totaling 2,300 megawatts. This pipeline is complemented by 73 New York State-supported utility-scale solar projects under development throughout the state.
“NYSEIA (New York Solar Energy Industries Association) and its member companies look forward to working with state officials, utilities, and other stakeholders to ensure not only future growth of the community solar market but also that the promises of community solar are fulfilled, including improved access for low-income customers and disadvantaged communities. With a robust slate of community solar projects in development, it is more important than ever for New York to continue to address the needs of this key market segment,” NYSEIA Executive Director Zack Dufresne said.
The Solar Energy Industry Association and Wood Mackenzie Solar Market Insight 2021 Year in Review report confirm the state’s ranking as the top community solar market. It ranked New York as the all-time national leader ahead of second-place Minnesota and number one in 2021 for installations – more than double second-place state Massachusetts.
“National Grid is pleased to lead in Community Solar installations across the state, and we have worked with NYSERDA to develop the Solar-For-All program to ensure that low- and moderate-income National Grid customers can realize the benefits of solar interconnections. We are continuously innovating new ways to make solar connections faster, cheaper, and more customer centric,” President of National Grid NY Rudolph Wynter said.
