Solar in New York: Its Strategy to Make Solar Shine

By Elisa Wood, Contributor
20 June 2012   |   1 Comment

New York is behind, so far, on large-scale solar development. But as the solar industry looks to develop new US markets, New York is among the top three contenders.

LONDON -- New York is home to Wall Street, Broadway, and arguably the best pizza in America. It can do so much so well. Why not large-scale solar?

'Relative to New Jersey, California, even Massachusetts to some extent, and Colorado and Arizona, New York has not stepped up to the plate,' said Carrie Cullen Hitt, vice president of state affairs for the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).

The numbers support Hitt's argument. Of the roughly 30,000 MW of utility-scale solar operating, being built or developed in the US, a mere 57 MW can be found in New York, according to SEIA. Neighbouring New Jersey beats it by more than four times. And California's 18,231 MW makes New York look like an ant next to a mountain.

Solar advocates find New York's lack of large-scale solar frustrating because the state has the right elements to build a strong market. Electricity rates are high, consumers are green leaning, and transmission is constrained, at least in the densely populated southern tier of the state.

'As the solar industry looks at potential new markets, New York is probably among the top three,' said Fred Zalcman, northeast managing director of regulatory affairs for SunEdison. 'The market is very attractive for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that retail prices, certainly in parts of New York state, are among the highest in the country. The trajectory to grid parity is much better in New York than most of the rest of the country.'

This is not to say that New York lacks renewables. Governor Andrew Cuomo's office pegs the state's renewable energy portfolio at about 2000 MW, much of it from wind power. In fact, New York held the 12th position for wind power generation nationwide last year, according to the American Wind Energy Association. This is impressive considering that New York lacks the large swathes of open land characteristic of many high ranking states. New York is 30th in geographic size among the states.