Dive Brief:
- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has proposed a budget that supports renewable power, provides for community projects to back larger initiatives, and gives tax breaks on solar panels.
- Cuomo wants to reduce energy consumption by 20% in the state's biggest cities and proposed holding a $20 million competition among them to do so.
- The governor also seeks to expand access to solar through "shared solar," or community net metering programs, which utilities across the country are embracing.
Dive Insight:
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposed $142 billion budget includes a focus on renewable energy, supported though what Capital New York calls "a series of smaller initiatives," compared to broader visions outlined in the past. Among the proposals is a $20 million competition between Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Yonkers — the state's largest cities not including New York City — and a community solar program that would allow access to residents who do not own a home.
Under the proposal, residents would be able to subscribe to a local solar energy project and get credit on their utility bills for their portion of the power produced, with a goal of raising significant private investment in the state’s growing clean energy economy.
"Whether because they rent or own a condo, have insufficient roof space, or poor roof orientation, many New Yorkers are unable to install a solar system," according to the state's 2015 Opportunity Agenda. "Across the country, only 22-27 percent of residential rooftop area is suitable for hosting solar PV, leaving a majority of homes without access to the economic and environmental benefits of on-site solar power. We can change this."
The budget would also give tax credit for solar panel purchases and establish a research lab focused on the utility grid of the future.
