Con Edison program to provide solar energy to low-income New York customers

The New York Public Service Commission (PSC) approved on Wednesday a Con Edison program that will provide solar energy to low-income customers in Brooklyn, Queens and Westchester County.

Con Edison plans to install three megawatts (MW) of solar capacity in the first phase of the program. Over five years, the company said it could install as much as 11 MW for low-income customers.

Developers will bid competitively for contracts to install solar panels on company roofs and grounds. The program would not involve any cost for participants but would provide them with savings of at least $60 per year.

“We thank the state Public Service Commission for its careful review and approval of the first phase of our Shared Solar Pilot Program, which will make renewable energy available to a group of customers who have been largely shut out of the solar market,” Matthew Ketschke, Con Edison’s vice president of Distributed Resource Integration, said. “More customers having access to renewable energy will mean a cleaner environment here in New York City and Westchester County.”

Customers who are enrolled in Con Edison’s low-income bill assistance program and receive bills directly from the company are eligible for the program.

The cost of the first phase of the program is estimated at $10 million.