NEW YORK CITY—New York City Economic Development Corporation is planning a community solar garden at the Brooklyn Army Terminal. The rooftop solar plan aims to bring affordable, sustainable energy to Sunset Park residents and local industrial businesses. NYCEDC will provide up to 100,000 square feet of rooftop space to pilot the subscription-based, shared solar program.
While the use of solar technology has increased over the years, installation costs, space requirements, and especially with the high number of rental units and multifamily properties, rooftop ownership can make investing in solar energy difficult for New Yorkers. By using space at the Brooklyn Army Terminal campus, NYCEDC plans to offset individual costs for solar energy.
Subscribers of the program will pay a monthly membership fee, rather than an electricity bill. The city notes similar programs have been successfully launched in Sacramento, Washington State, and the University of Maryland, resulting in energy cost-savings.
NYCEDC has sought proposals from solar power providers and local community organizations that demonstrate cost-savings for Sunset Park residents and a plan to ensure people living in the neighborhood have the opportunity to participate in the program.
The initiative is part of Mayor Bill de Blasio's goal of installing by 2030 one gigawatt of solar capacity citywide, enough to power 250,000 homes.
In September 2016, The New York Times reported that the upfront costs for installing solar panels on a single-family home ran between $20,000 and $50,000 but federal, state and city programs could cut that cost in half and monthly energy bills could fall by as much as 85%.
Initiating the pilot community solar program at the Brooklyn Army Terminal is part of the efforts to transform the area into a leading industrial campus. The city has invested over $115 million in the redevelopment and notes it is home to more than 100 businesses and over 3,500 jobs.
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Betsy Kim
Betsy Kim was the bureau chief, East Coast, and New York City reporter for Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com. As a lawyer and journalist, Betsy has worked as the director of editorial and content for LexisNexis Lawyers.com, a TV/multi-media journalist for NBC and CBS affiliated TV stations in the Midwest, and an associate producer at Court TV.
