The 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 governor's office said.
The $46 million from the 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,” Governor Cuomo said. “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 KW, 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,” Murray added.
The awards were made under the first of three rounds of the Competitive PV solicitation, 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, the governor's office said.
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.
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