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The sight of photovoltaic installations in the Big Apple may become more commonplace in coming years, if the regional utility company gets approval for its plans. Con Edison has filed a proposal with the New York State Public Service Commission to support the development of 25MW of solar energy resources in New York City by 2015.

Con Edison says it has suggested that the state set aside $24.8 million of its renewable energy funds for these programs for residential and commercial customers in the city.

The proposed incentives would target smaller solar projects: one provides customers with rebates based on the production of their PV panels, another encourages solar generation in areas where it could provide the greatest benefit to the electric system, while yet another program is designed to facilitate the deployment of solar in the low-income residential market, according to the utility.

The company says it is also proposing that the state set aside $4 million for a residential program for customers in New York City and Westchester County to use solar energy for hot water.

"We believe that New York City, with its urban roofscape, has great potential as a center for solar power and we are confident that we can use our unique knowledge of our customers to make that a reality," said John Mucci, Con Ed's VP of engineering and planning. "We're eager to take a greater leadership role in helping the state meet its ambitious renewable energy goals."

The proposed incentives would be in addition to a proposal to spend $125 million over five years throughout the entire Con Ed service area for larger installations. The combined program funding would achieve more than 100MW of new solar capacity in its service area, according to the company.