Governor Andrew M.
Cuomo today announced that $46 million has been awarded under his NY-Sun
initiative for large-scale solar energy projects that will add 52 megawatts to
the state’s solar capacity. Today’s announcement follows a year of
unprecedented growth for solar installations in the state as a result of the
NY-Sun initiative.
Awards have been made
to 28 recipients to finance 76 large-scale solar energy projects in 33 counties
across the state. Installations will be located at businesses, factories,
municipal buildings and other larger commercial and industrial companies, and
are expected to be on line by the end of this year. As a result of NY-Sun, more
photovoltaic (PV) systems are now being deployed in the state than in the
entire prior decade.
The $46 million from
New York State, awarded through a competitive program, leverages $100 million
in private investment, resulting in $146 million in infrastructure projects.
“The NY-Sun initiative
is driving the growth of solar energy systems that will help businesses and
municipalities benefit from cost-effective, on-site electricity generation,”
said Governor Cuomo. “At the same time, it is building the State’s clean-energy
economy and growing jobs, showcasing once again that New York is a leader in
renewable energy and environmental stewardship.”
The NY-Sun Competitive
PV Program, which provides incentives for PV systems larger than 50 kilowatts,
is administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
(NYSERDA). Funding per project is capped at $3 million, and all projects
require co-funding to best leverage state resources.
“Governor Cuomo’s
NY-Sun initiative has been the catalyst for the unprecedented growth of solar
power in the state,” said Francis J. Murray Jr., President and CEO, NYSERDA.
“Large projects such as the ones announced today highlight the fact that
public-private partnerships are having a significant positive impact on the
state’s ability to diversify its renewable energy portfolio, reduce demand on
the electric grid and stimulate economic activity.”
Today’s awards are
made under the first of three rounds of the Competitive PV solicitation,
which is a key element of New York’s Renewable Portfolio Standard program.
Second round proposals have been received, and proposals for the third round
are due August 29, 2013.
A steady decline in
the cost to build solar PV projects since the Competitive PV Program’s launch
in 2011 has enabled significant reductions to the incentives that are awarded.
In 2011, the portfolio-weighted average incentive awarded was $1.30 per Watt,
while in 2012 it had dropped to $0.93 per Watt. Today’s awards represent a
further decline to $0.88 per Watt, or about 30 percent of the cost to build
these projects.
The projects are meant
to produce power for on-site use, not for direct sale to utilities. Under
certain circumstances, however, unused power can be added to the grid in
exchange for future utility credit.
The solar developers
or host sites that served as prime applicants receiving these awards consist
of: Advanced Solar Products, Amberjack Solar, Carlisle Construction Materials,
Community Energy Solar LLC, Constellation New Energy Inc., County Agency of NY
LLC, Distributed Sun LLC, Dynamic Solar LLC, Energy Systems and Installations,
EnterSolar LLC, Half Moon Ventures LLC, HelioSage Energy, HPP/Icetime LLC,
Hudson Solar/Hudson Valley Clean Energy Inc., Jordan Energy and Food
Enterprises LLC, LighthouseSolar, National Grid Energy Management, OnForce
Solar, RER Energy Group, Sealing Devices Inc., SEC KC Solar One LLC, SEC Newco
LLC, SoCore Solar NY Project LLC, SolarCity, Soltage VUL 1600 Chemung LLC,
Spear Point Energy, Sun Edison Commercial Solutions LLC and Village of
Wappinger Falls.
In addition to the
Competitive PV program, NYSERDA also offers a smaller-scale solar PV program
(projects of 50 kilowatts or less) under the NY-Sun Initiative. Funding under
this program is $3.1 million per month in 2013. This standard offer,
non-competitive open enrollment program provides funding for systems up to 7
kilowatts for residential sites and up to 50 kilowatts for non-residential
sites
Governor Cuomo
launched the NY-Sun initiative to accelerate solar power development in New
York State. Combined efforts of NYSERDA, New York Power Authority (NYPA) and
Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) in 2012 led to the successful installation
of over 58 megawatts (MW) of PV in the State, nearly doubling the amount of
customer-sited PV installed in 2011. Including today’s awards, a total of 242
MW of PV has been installed or is under development as part of NY-Sun.More PV
systems are being developed under NY-Sun than in the entire prior decade
combined.
For more information
on the NY-Sun Initiative, please visit www.ny-sun.ny.gov. The
NY-Sun Competitive PV Program solicitation can be found here.
