As part of our goal of 100% clean electricity by 2050, New York City has set a target of 1,000 MW of solar power by 2030. However, we are not on track to meet that goal at our current pace of installation. We must double our solar capacity by 2026 and triple it by 2030 to hit that goal.
Rooftop space is an abundant resource in NYC, but the vast majority of our roofs are small and face many barriers to solar adoption. To address these challenges, Comptroller Lander is proposing Public Solar NYC, a new program that has the potential to achieve 600 MW of new rooftop solar over 8 years, create up to 13,000 high-road green jobs, and generate cost savings for energy-burdened and environmental justice communities.
Through an innovative municipal finance structure, Public Solar NYC would use public financing to leverage additional investment, target buildings with barriers to solar access, work with installers to expand capacity and incorporate high-road labor standards – and then finance, permit, install, own, and maintain thousands of small- and mid-sized rooftop arrays as part of the city’s growing clean energy portfolio.
