GOVERNOR CUOMO ANNOUNCES $60 MILLION IN NY-SUN FUNDING AVAILABLE

from the official New York State governor website – http://www.governor.ny.gov/

For Immediate Release: May 13, 2014

GOVERNOR CUOMO ANNOUNCES $60 MILLION IN NY-SUN FUNDING AVAILABLE

Awards for 22 Projects to Add 22 Megawatts of Solar Capacity Downstate

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that $60 million is now available through the third round of the statewide NY-Sun Competitive PV initiative, as New York State continues to expand its portfolio of clean, renewable solar energy.

“By supporting the growth of the solar industry in New York, our administration is taking a fundamental step in growing the State’s clean energy economy,” Governor Cuomo said. “Over the past few years, the NY-Sun initiative has been vital to reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions, lowering the strain on the power grid, and creating new opportunities for businesses to pursue solar installations across the State. With this round of funding we are continuing to build a cleaner and greener State, and I encourage all interested parties to apply today.”

Administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the $60 million funding opportunity is for solar projects to be located at business, industry and institutional sites that are large energy users. It is the final solicitation under the current design of the NY-Sun Competitive PV Program and is for systems larger than 200 kilowatts. Proposals are due in July.

President and CEO of NYSERDA John B. Rhodes said, “Governor Cuomo’s NY-Sun initiative is a powerful, well-funded solar energy expansion plan that is beneficial to New Yorkers. The continued scale-up of solar capacity attracts significant private investment, creates well-paying jobs, improves the reliability of the electric grid and promotes clean energy usage.”

Governor Cuomo launched the NY-Sun initiative in 2012 to significantly increase the amount of solar power installed annually at customer sites in New York State. A total of 316 megawatts (MW) of solar PV has been installed or is under contract—more than previously installed in New York throughout the entire prior decade. This will save approximately 116,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions from being released, which is the equivalent of removing 23,000 cars from the road.

NY-Sun Awards Downstate

Awards recently made downstate under the NY-Sun Competitive PV Program totaled $18 million for 22 projects that will add 22 MW of solar capacity in the Hudson Valley and New York City. This funding leverages private investment that will result in a total of $55 million in new PV power infrastructure projects.

Under the NY-Sun Competitive PV Program, installers submit proposals for funding based on commitments from companies interested in having PV installed at their sites and the proposed incentive for each PV project. For the recently awarded New York City and the Hudson Valley solicitation, project proposals with the most competitive incentive were selected, representing three sites in Brooklyn, two in Queens, one in Staten Island, four each in Orange and Rockland counties, three in Westchester, two each in Putnam and Ulster counties, and one in Sullivan County.

The following installers received awards:

• Solar Liberty Energy Systems Inc. (one site)

In his 2014 State of the State address, Governor Cuomo established Community Solar NY, a program to make solar energy available to all New Yorkers. This initiative includes K-Solar, a program to provide incentives, financing and technical assistance to school administrators interested in reducing energy costs and creating healthier environments for students through on-site solar installations.

For more information on the NY-Sun Competitive PV Program solicitation, visit nyserda.ny.gov/PON2956.

With this latest initiative, New York’s role as a leader and first mover in shaping the future of energy remains firmly in place. By developing innovative market solutions, the State is delivering on Governor Cuomo’s commitment to transform the energy industry into a more resilient, clean, cost-effective and dynamic system. Working with State, citizen and industry-stakeholders, the way of doing business in New York is moving to a more market-based, decentralized approach. This means preserving the environment, decreasing energy costs, and creating opportunities for economic growth for current and future generations of New Yorkers. In advancing these new energy systems and solutions, New Yorkers will have improved energy affordability and efficiency without sacrificing the ability to live in a cleaner, resilient and more sustainable environment.