New York governor Kathy Hochul has announced that the state has reached its target of installing 6GW of distributed solar capacity, one year ahead of schedule.
The aim to install 6GW of distributed solar capacity is part of the NY-Sun initiative, a programme launched in 2012 to expand the state’s distributed solar sector. The project also aims to have 10GW of distributed solar in operation in the state by the end of the decade, and with 3.4GW of distributed solar currently under development, the state is “ahead of schedule” for this goal, according to the office of the governor.
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“Today we celebrate the early achievement of New York’s 6GW milepost, which brings us one step closer to a reliable and resilient zero-emission grid,” said Hochul. “Distributed solar is at the heart of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, expanding the availability of renewable energy and delivering substantial benefits for our health, our environment and our economy.”
New York is among the leaders in the US distributed sector, adding 885MW of new capacity in 2023 alone, and boasting the largest operating capacity of community solar in the country. According to the US Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), distributed solar accounts for the vast majority of solar capacity in the state, which stood at 6.1GW in the second quarter of this year, eighth-most among US states.
The state has benefitted from sustained policy support for small-scale solar, including its Solar for All pilot programme, which allows project developers to partner with National Grid to cut bills for consumers, and a US$250 million investment from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in April 2024 to further expand the solar sector.
New York is driving a wave of interest in distributed solar, with figures from Wood Mackenzie and the Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA) forecasting that the total operating distributed solar capacity in the US will hit 10GW by 2026, with New York contributing the bulk of this capacity. The news follows a number of investments made into the New York distributed solar space, with Aggreko, Generate and KeyState all advancing plans for such projects in recent months.
