Posts Tagged ‘New York’

New York Solar Jobs Coalition Sets Aggressive Targets

Posted December 7th, 2011 by SRECTrade.

Solar industry representatives in New York are teaming up with organized labor and other environmental advocacy groups to put forth ambitious goals to build a sustainable solar industry in the Empire State. The organizations collectively form the New York Solar Jobs Coalition, and their agenda goes beyond just getting more solar power tied to the grid. The proposal supports strong labor protection and wage laws for solar industry jobs to attract a skilled workforce that will create a more independent energy infrastructure.

New York has been slow to implement solar targets for their energy sector, lagging behind neighboring states New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. Now, the Solar Jobs Coalition is calling for a program that will install 5,000 megawatts (MW) of solar power, or roughly 3% of the state’s energy portfolio, over a 15-year period. With the benefit of observing other state-based solar industries, the Coalition is wisely tying these targets to strong workforce standards that ensure efficient, quality work.

“Here in New York, we want to be able to do this work in a way that is cost efficient and that we attract the people with the highest skill,” stated Denis Hughes of the AFL-CIO in a local public radio interview last week.

The legislation supported by the Coalition would create an SREC market that differs from other neighboring states as well. The new SREC market would support distributed generation from residential and small commercial systems by requiring a minimum of 20% of eligible SRECs to come from systems under 50 kW. To attract financing, particularly for large-scale projects, utilities would be required to offer long-term contracts for periods up to 15 years, subject to negotiation for exact length and pricing. The one potential weakness of the proposed legislation is that it does not set a non-compliance penalty, or ACP, that would push buyers into the market and set a price ceiling for the SRECs.

Leaning on Governor Cuomo and state legislators, the Coalition predicts their proposal will build a $20 billion industry to New York while increasing the state’s  energy independence and reducing its carbon footprint. The Coalition has garnered support from national and state chapters of solar industry representatives, organized labor, and environmental advocacy groups.

NY SREC market put on hold

Posted June 28th, 2011 by SRECTrade.

The New York State Assembly’s session ended on Friday, June 24th without the passing of the New York Solar Industry and Jobs Act, which would have established an SREC market in New York beginning in 2013. The bill is the assembly’s latest iteration of State Senate Bill S.4178A, which we covered in a blog post in May. Since then, the bill has received several edits:

*The compliance schedule for the implementation of solar has changed, with the first year’s targets reduced from a .33% solar requirement to a .15% requirement. The 2020 target of 1.5% solar has remained unchanged.

*The original $300 price floor for state-sponsored SREC sales has been removed, and SRECs will simply expire after 2 years.

*A multiplier making SRECs generated within a utility’s distribution region worth 1.5 the value of SRECs generated outside the distribution region was added.

Unfortunately, this important legislation will not be able to be addressed until the start of the 2012 session. Until then, the prospect of a NY SREC market has been put on hold.

DC State Eligibility Criteria

Posted January 25th, 2010 by SRECTrade.

The District of Columbia is one of the states that will allow its electricity suppliers to procure SRECs from out-of-state solar generating facilities. There are no defined boundaries for what states may qualify for certification in the DC SREC market. According to information received by SRECTrade, the DC PSC will approve SRECs for states in the PJM region and states adjacent per the following guidelines:

The DC Public Service Commission is responsible for approving applications to the DC SREC market.  Their rule of thumb is that if your state has an RPS similar to DC you are guaranteed certification in DC. Currently those states include Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Ohio.

Solar facilities built in all other PJM area states AND adjacent states are reviewed closely and the DC PSC will determine if they can be granted certification. Currently, they have not declined a registration from any of those states because of location. Based on the map of the PJM region, these states include: Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Here is a link to get you started:

DC Certification Instructions