NYSEIA News

ALBANY, NY, Nov.25 – New York Solar Energy Industries Association (NYSEIA) today called on the state Public Service Commission (PSC) to continue to support the growth of the state’s solar photovoltaic (PV) market by at least 40 percent annually over the next six years, and to include solar thermal in the portfolio of technologies eligible for Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) funding.
 
The statewide non-profit membership and trade association representing the solar industry urged the PSC to provide additional incentives for solar PV programs beyond the level proposed in the review, and to join 13 other states that include solar thermal in their RPS.

The group submitted its formal comments during the mid-course review assessing the RPS Program’s progress toward meeting its goals and objectives.

The PSC adopted a RPS in 2004 with a 25 percent target by 2013. Funding is generated through a surcharge on each kilowatt-hour sold by the state’s investor-owned utilities and is managed by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
 
“The PSC and NYSERDA did a good job in the first phase of the RPS by creating a solid foundation of experienced and profitable businesses who install solar energy systems in the state,” said Kevin MacLeod, NYSEIA Vice President. “The next phase needs to build on that success and set New York on a course toward becoming a regional and national leader in the development of its solar energy industry.”
 
Among the actions recommended by NYSEIA are:
 
Solar Thermal
 
The association urged the Commission to continue to participate in the newly formed NYS Solar Thermal Consortium and to collectively create programs that move NY to 30,000 installations annually, creating 2,000-plus jobs.
 
The Solar Thermal Consortium held its first meeting this fall at TechCity in Kingston. The group represents the interests of industry, government, institutions and public advocacy groups with the purpose of developing a Solar Thermal Roadmap that aims to deploy 2,000 MWs of solar thermal in New York by 2020.
 
In its comments, NYSEIA pointed to the positive experiences of the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation, which successfully transformed the market by involving a broad-cross section of stakeholders, developing centralized consumer information systems, showcasing existing installations, and launching a coordinated public education and marketing program.
 
“We highly recommend New York to follow suit and work with the Solar Thermal Consortium to design programs that will enable New York to establish itself as a leader in the deployment of this vital clean energy technology,” said NYSEIA President Ron Kamen, who is also a Senior Vice President of EarthKind Solar in Kingston.
 
Solar PV
 
NYSEIA recommended the Commission work to transform the PV market and build an industry that needs no further investment from New York ratepayers by achieving “grid parity” with a goal of 2,000 MWs of PV by 2020 and various mechanisms that will build small, medium, and utility scale PV.
 
“The PV industry has grown by 60 percent a year for the past six years, despite the current economic downtown,” said MacLeod. “The industry is poised to continue to create jobs, attract new manufacturers to the state, and transform our economy. Yet even though NYSERDA will receive $50 million in PV applications in 2009, the mid-course review proposed only between $25 to $49 million for PV a year, which would freeze growth and result in a loss of solar jobs.”
 
“To create the ‘Green Economy,’ the state needs a much more aggressive and comprehensive program that will continue the industry’s growth at a 40 percent per year level or more,” he added.
NYSEIA also called for the transition to performance-based incentives to gain a real market transformation for systems larger than 80KW, with an evaluation for transitioning smaller installations into performance based systems over time.
 
 
About NYSEIA
The New York Solar Energy Industries Association, founded in 1994, is the only statewide non-profit membership and trade association dedicated solely to advancing solar energy use in New York State. For information, visit http://www.nyseia.org
 
 

Media Contacts:

Ron Kamen                  (917) 453-5740           ron.kamen@earthkindsolar.com

Sandy Frinton              (845) 454-3895           NYSolarNews@gmail.com

 
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Last changed: Jan 21 2010