Community Solar Could Help New Yorkers Save $1 Billion Yearly, Research Shows

New York already hit its goal of 6 gigawatts (GW) of distributed solar — Community Solar included — one year early in 2024. Now developers and policymakers want the Empire State to shoot for 20 GW of distributed solar by 2035, according to the Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA). And savings of a billion dollars a year could be at stake.

According to the recent Sunlight and Storage Into Savings report — which Synapse Energy Economics prepared for CCSA — increasing the level of distributed solar and storage deployment in New York to 20 GW by 2035 would result in an estimated $1 billion in avoided energy costs every year. Doing so, the researchers say, would also result in average annual electricity cost savings of $87 for residential ratepayers in upstate New York and $46 for those downstate, regardless of whether they have solar or storage installed. Such an increase would avoid 59 billion cubic feet of gas used for electricity generation in 2035 and would reduce carbon dioxide emissions costs by an estimated $947 million in 2035, the report adds.

“Distributed solar and storage deliver value on multiple fronts at once — lower bills, stronger reliability, and reduced exposure to volatile gas markets,” says Kate Daniel, Northeast Director at the Coalition for Community Solar Access. “This study shows that smart policy choices can unlock real savings for all customers, not just those who install solar on their rooftops.”

It is for reasons like these that New York legislators pushed to enact the Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power (ASAP) Act this year with an aim of setting a new target for distributed solar energy capacity. “Solar energy is the cheapest form of energy to produce and a linchpin for affordability,” said State Sen. Pete Harckham, who’s sponsoring the act. “This new study re-emphasizes the long-term, abiding value of renewable energy and storage systems in this regard. At this point, we should be exponentially increasing our clean energy efforts and gigawatt goals with distributed solar projects to create thousands of green jobs and save ratepayers millions of dollars.”

New York State Assembly Member Didi Barrett, Chair of the Assembly Energy Committee and another sponsor of the ASAP Act, said the proposed legislation “is about scaling solutions that work for everyday New Yorkers — lowering electricity costs for consumers, supporting clean energy jobs, and meeting our climate goals.”

The good news keeps coming: In May, the New York State Legislature and Gov. Kathy Hochul finalized New York’s FY2027 budget, which includes certain aspects of the ASAP Act. Of note, the budget invests $200 million in the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) NY-Sun program, which incentivizes rooftop and community solar, as the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) reports. That $200 million in funding for the NY-Sun program will support approximately one gigawatt of rooftop and community solar capacity, which will help lower residential and commercial utility bills alike, SEIA adds. Even better, New York’s F72027 budget directs the state’s Public Service Commission to modernize the utility interconnection process, making it faster to connect solar and storage projects to the grid.

“[The CCSA/Synapse report] highlights the opportunity for New York to lower electricity prices by scaling up distributed solar and energy storage deployment,” says Noah Ginsburg, executive director of the New York Solar Energy Industries Association.  

Altus Power, a leading commercial-scale clean energy company, has been investing in New York’s electricity grid for more than 10 years now, with hundreds of millions in investments since 2016.

Altus develops, owns, and operates solar systems for businesses, municipalities, schools, and hospitals, reducing energy costs for partners and offtakers. The company’s solar projects in New York, which include an installation in the Bronx and a solar carport installation at the Croton-Harmon train station, supply more than 267 megawatts of solar capacity. On the Community Solar side, Altus Power’s Community Solar programs allow more than 17,000 New Yorkers access to clean energy savings without panels installed on their property.

And it’s not just New York residents who benefit. Altus Power’s Community Solar offers renters and homeowners in several states across the country the chance to save money while helping their communities go green. With Community Solar, subscribers get guaranteed savings of up to 20% off their electricity costs, without upfront costs or fees, utility changes, or long-term contracts.

To check your eligibility and apply to Community Solar, go to join.altuspower.com. And if you have any questions, contact Altus Power’s Customer Experience Team at hello@altuspower.com.