(Bloomberg) —
New York State is putting solar panels atop 47 New York City schools and some water treatment facilities in an effort to advance its clean energy plans, Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday.
The projects are expected to generate more than 25 megawatts of power, enough for about 1,300 homes. While that’s a tiny fraction of the city, the move help will help ease the problem of bringing clean power to the densest corner of the U.S. without having to build long-haul transmission lines. New York City has a goal of installing 100 megawatts of solar on properties it owns by 2025.
The systems will also include up to 6.6 megawatts of energy storage which should support the reliability of solar power as an energy source. Construction of the project will be managed by the New York Power Authority and is set to begin in early 2022. The systems will be phased into operation that year and the following one.
The power purchase agreements are with ENGIE North America and Ameresco Inc., and they will help New York reach the clean energy targets that were outlined in its 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, known as the Climate Act.
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