GOVERNOR HOCHUL ANNOUNCES FOUR GIGAWATTS OF DISTRIBUTED SOLAR INSTALLED IN NEW YORK

GOVERNOR HOCHUL ANNOUNCES FOUR GIGAWATTS OF DISTRIBUTED SOLAR INSTALLED IN NEW YORK AND LARGEST SINGLE-ROOFTOP SOLAR ARRAY IN MANHATTAN Statewide Distributed Solar Projects to Power More Than 710,000 Homes U.S. Climate Alliance Members Convene at Javits Center to Celebrate Multi-State Climate Action During New York State Climate Week New York on Path to Exceed Goal of Six Gigawatts of Solar by 2025 and Accelerates Progress Toward 10 Gigawatts by 2030 Photos of Solar Array Available Here As part of Climate Week, Governor Kathy Hochul today announced four gigawatts of distributed solar—community, residential, small commercial and industrial projects—have been installed across the state, enough to power more than 710,000 homes, underscoring New York's leadership in growing one of the strongest solar markets in the nation. Since the launch of the NY-Sun initiative, the cost of solar in New York has declined by 70 percent as solar deployment has grown nearly 2,900 percent statewide, all while helping to drive $6.4 billion in private investment and foster more than 12,000 jobs across the state. When combined with the projects that are under development and moving toward commercial operation, achieving today's milestone puts New York on track to exceed its goal to install six gigawatts of distributed solar by 2025 and progress toward 10 gigawatts by 2030. Governor Hochul was joined by U.S. Climate Alliance leaders to make the historic announcement today from the roof of the Javits Center, where they applauded progress in the installation of the largest single-rooftop solar array in Manhattan. A video of the installation overview can be viewed here. A time-lapse video of the installation can be viewed here.

"We are laser-focused on the battle against climate change, and our nation-leading advancement of renewable energy is supercharging New York's economy while creating an equitable and healthier future for all New Yorkers," Governor Hochul said, "This achievement is a testament to our successful partnership with communities and industry alike to get these projects built in every corner of the state and ensures more families and businesses will benefit from clean affordable solar power for years to come. I am proud to make today's announcement from the Javits Center, which is now home to Manhattan's largest single-rooftop solar array with an accompanying battery storage system and is setting an example for other urban commercial buildings of how to be on the cutting-edge of our clean energy future."

New York's progress from three to four gigawatts of distributed solar installations across the state was the fastest gigawatt-to-gigawatt increase to date, taking just more than a year to achieve. It has been grounded in the state's productivity coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic—with more than 1,200 megawatts of capacity installed through the first half of 2022, enough to power nearly 217,000 homes. The majority of the new distributed solar has been supported with more than $289 million in NY-Sun incentives that leveraged $1.5 billion in private investment.

The 1,400 solar panels on the Javits Center's green roof, which also serves as a habitat for area wildlife, will be supplemented by a 3.5-megawatt battery storage system. The project is the result of a public-private partnership between the Javits Center, the New York Power Authority (NYPA), and Siemens Industry, Inc. The system is the largest single rooftop solar project and will include one of the highest-capacity battery energy storage systems in Manhattan. The completion of the solar installation also coincides with the resurgence of event activity at the Javits Center following the height of the pandemic, when it served as an emergency field hospital that treated nearly 1,100 New Yorkers, and then as the largest vaccination site in the United States that distributed more than 646,000 vaccines to New Yorkers in less than six months.

Since August 2021, soon after construction of the Javits Center's 1.2 million square-foot expansion was completed and event operations resumed, 40 events have been held in the expansion, known as Javits North. Activity is continuing to grow, with 49 events booked at the iconic venue on Manhattan's West Side from September to December 2022 -- a 14% increase compared to the same period in 2021. From new corporate galas and fundraisers to trade shows and conventions, the increase in event activity can be attributed to significant infrastructure investments across the region, including a major expansion of the Javits Center, as well as the recent transformations of LaGuardia Airport and the Moynihan Train Hall. Events held at the Javits Center can attract up to 39,000 companies from around the world each year, generate up to $2 billion of annual economic activity and support up to 18,000 jobs statewide, directly and indirectly. From West 34th to West 40th streets between 11th and 12th avenues, the expanded Javits Center features more than 200,000 square feet of new meeting and pre-function space, including The Overview, a 54,000 square-foot special event space, as well as a glass-enclosed rooftop pavilion and terrace overlooking the Hudson River. A one-acre rooftop farm and greenhouse also was constructed, creating a roof-to-table experience for convention center guests. Below the rooftop event spaces is a four-level truck marshaling facility that houses up to 200 tractor-trailers at any one time, reducing neighborhood congestion and pollution while improving traffic safety. All of the spaces are equipped with the latest technology in lighting fixtures, heating and cooling systems and wireless connectivity. The expansion has been certified LEED Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council.

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority President and CEO and Climate Action Council Co-Chair Doreen M. Harrissaid, "The State's successful NY-Sun initiative has already positioned New York as the top community solar market in the nation and now is revving up our progress to meet our 2025 solar goal ahead of schedule, putting us on pace to achieve ten gigawatts by 2030. NYSERDA looks forward to building upon this milestone to advance solar projects of all sizes that help to lower greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality and bring down electricity bills for all New Yorkers."

New York Power Authority Interim President and CEO Justin E. Driscollsaid, "The deployment of more solar arrays throughout New York is critical for achieving the state's ambitious renewable energy goals. The comprehensive rooftop solar system on the Javits Center will be a New York showpiece of an emissions-free, renewable energy source that helps to lower electric bills while helping us move forward in our transition away from fossil fuels. With one of the largest battery deployments in New York City, the project also will enhance the efficiency of the electric grid by storing extra energy to use during periods of high electricity demand."

Javits Center CEO Alan Steel said, "Installing a rooftop solar array atop the Javits Center is the next major step in our sustainability journey, and it has been an honor to work with Governor Hochul, NYPA and Siemens to create this remarkable — and renewable — source of energy on Manhattan's West Side. From serving as a wildlife sanctuary to operating a one-acre farm, our rooftop is unlike any other in New York State, and we hope our efforts inspire others to explore sustainable building as we bring people together for events during Climate Week NYC."

Chair of the State Public Service CommissionRory M. Christian said, "New York's highly acclaimed NY-Sun initiative will help us met our important goals to develop solar power in New York. These programs, championed by Governor Hochul, will lower greenhouse gas emissions and reduce volatile energy prices. As we drive solar energy projects, New York will create new economic opportunities for customers and create good-paying jobs for New Yorkers."

New York's success has been driven largely by community solar, an innovative business model designed to deliver the benefits of solar, including no upfront costs or participation fees, to New York consumers who are often unable to install solar on their property. Earlier this year, Governor Hochul announced New York became the top community solar market in the United States with more than one gigawatt installed, enough to power more than 200,000 homes, ensuring continued access to clean affordable solar for all New Yorkers for years to come.

The state's NY-Sun initiative has helped support the installation of solar for 166,088 New York homes or businesses spanning every county in New York with Long Island, Mid-Hudson, and the Capital Region having the most installed solar. Consistent with the Climate Act's mandate for 35 percent and a goal of 40 percent of clean energy benefits going towards Disadvantaged Communities, NYSERDA is dedicating over 1,600 megawatts, enough to power 280,000 homes, to low- to moderate-income (LMI) households, affordable housing, and disadvantaged and environmental justice communities as part of its Solar Energy Equity Framework.

In addition to the four gigawatts of distributed solar installed statewide, there is another 3.2 gigawatts of solar, enough to power 560,000 homes, that have been awarded NY-Sun incentives and are now under development across the state. These projects are expected to come online in the next two to three years with enough capacity to power an additional half million or more homes, which will bring New York State even closer to achieving the state's six-gigawatt goal. Achieving the state's solar goal of six gigawatts is expected to generate approximately $5.4 billion in private investments, and up to $500 million per year in statewide energy savings.

The rapid deployment of distributed solar across New York will be further accelerated with the extended and expanded federal Investment Tax Credit for solar and other clean energy technologies that was included in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. This progress is also complemented by NYSERDA's large-scale renewables program , which has active contracts with over 85 utility-scale solar projects totaling nearly seven additional gigawatts of solar under development throughout the state - enough to power nearly 1.2 million homes once completed. Together, these projects will result in more than $7.5 billion invested in New York and over 9,000 jobs in development, construction, and operations and maintenance.

State Senator Kevin S. Parker said, "With the installation of 4 GW of distributed solar across our state we have shown that we can install clean energy for folks in a timely manner. Distributed solar on rooftops will play a key role on our road to achieving the CLCPA equitably since it provides positive net value to the grid by avoiding infrastructure investments and improving resilience. I applaud the use of NYPA's special position as the state's public power authority to facilitate equitable green projects, like the Javits project, that contribute to this solar milestone and help keep us on track to exceed our CLCPA goal of 6GW of distributed solar by 2025."

Assemblymember Michael Cusick said, "Today I am proud to see we have reached this important milestone of 4,000 megawatts of installed distributed solar in New York State. Today's announcement of this achievement is further highlighted with the successful installation of the largest installed rooftop solar project in Manhattan at the Javits center. I applaud Governor Hochul, NYSERDA, NYPA and the Javits Center for this important progress on clean energy during climate week."

Campaigns for the Coalition for Community Solar Access Vice President Matt Hargarten, "New York is what's possible when you couple vision, leadership, and action in deploying community solar. CCSA applauds the alignment on display in the Empire State, from Gov. Hochul to NYSERDA, and throughout the many people it takes to meet these crucial climate milestones. Setting ambitious distributed solar goals - and exceeding them - is a great example for the rest of the nation."

New York Solar Energy Industries Association Executive Director Zack Dufresne said, "Today's news is evidence that New York's bold investments in solar energy are rapidly paying dividends. New York's achievement of 4 GW of installed distributed solar demonstrates the success of the nation-leading NY-Sun program and the impact that market certainty can have on the achievement of our clean energy goals. NYSEIA and its member companies are grateful for the unwavering support of Governor Hochul, NYSERDA, the Public Service Commission, and the State Legislature in our efforts to meet and exceed our 10 GW solar deployment and CLCPA equity goals. By directly serving disadvantaged communities, creating jobs, and providing grid benefits and avoided transmission costs, the distributed solar industry looks forward to continuing to play a key role in effectively implementing New York's clean energy transition."

Alliance for Clean Energy New York Executive Director Anne Reynolds said, "This awesome milestone for solar shows that we can accelerate the construction of the clean energy we need. This progress -- made possible by the successful NY-Sun Program -- puts us well on the way to the 10 GW goal. It's great to celebrate these milestones, even as we continue to evolve and improve programs, like the Expanded Solar for All Program designed to deploy solar to low-income New Yorkers."

VoteSolar Northeast Regional Director Elena Weissmann said, "New York has long been home to a thriving solar industry and solar policy champions. Along with our partners and members, Vote Solar celebrates this milestone as we push onwards towards 10GW and a clean grid that works for all New Yorkers. As new federal funds unlock even more opportunities for solar expansion, New York must be a leader in securing a democratic and resilient grid. It's crucial that we prioritize meeting the equity requirements of the landmark Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) and dig in to use solar as a tool for energy and economic justice in disadvantaged communities, including with the development of a robust community-led solar program."