New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced last week NYSERDA-supported solar power capacity in the state increased more than 1,000 percent from December 2011 to December 2017.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority promotes energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources by partnering with stakeholders to develop, invest, and create the conditions necessary to attract private sector investment and uptake.
By the end of 2011, 83.06MW of NYSERDA-assisted solar energy capacity had been installed across 9,079 projects. By the end of December last year, 972.27MW of capacity was in place across 78,323 installations, increases of 1,071% and 763% respectively.
“Solar is a vital part of this state’s clean energy future and we have experienced unprecedented growth in this new sector,” Governor Cuomo said. “We will continue to support the development of solar, helping to spur economic growth, creating new jobs and helping to build a cleaner, greener and more sustainable New York for all.”
Currently, 1,097 MW of solar energy projects are in the pipeline for the state, enough capacity to power the equivalent more than 186,000 average homes. Well over half of that capacity is in the form of community solar projects (728MW).
As we reported last week, U.S. solar industry employment dropped 3.85% last year – but in New York, solar sector employment grew from 8,135 in 2016 to 9,012 in 2017; an increase of 11%.
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), New York State ranked 10th last year for solar capacity among all U.S states.
NYSERDA’s NY-Sun initiative aims to add a total of three gigawatts of installed solar PV capacity in the state by 2023. Government Cuomo’s Clean Energy Standard commitment requires 50% of New York’s electricity to be sourced from renewables by 2030.
In June last year, Governor Cuomo responded to President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement by announcing a USD $1.5 billion investment in major renewable energy projects for the state and the forming of an alliance to uphold the aims of the Agreement.
Today, the US Climate Alliance has grown to 16 governor members, representing more than 40% of the USA’s population, at least $7.4 trillion in GDP and 1.5 million renewable and energy efficiency related jobs.
Governor Cuomo is also a strong supporter of energy storage. Last month he proposed a USD $200 million investment to help the state’s private sector in meeting an energy storage target of 1,500MW by 2025. Achieving that target would generate employment for 30,000 New Yorkers.
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