A new group is forming in Westchester County to reduce the permitting and zoning barriers to install solar panels.
Armed with a nearly $500,000 grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, the Westchester Solar Initiative aims to dramatically increase the number of solar panels in the region and accelerate the installation process.
While it might only take a few days to secure a solar permit in one town, it could take several weeks in another town down the road, said Nina Orville, CEO of Abundant Efficiency L.L.C., an energy consulting agency in Dobbs Ferry.
“Every municipality has their own processes, requirements and limitations regarding how solar panels can be installed, when and if they can be installed,” Orville said. “The goal is to help Westchester on its reputation as the most solar-friendly county in New York.”
Assuming the role of project manager, Orville said the initiative planned to officially launch in a couple months after its contract with NYSERDA is finalized and funding is in place. About 550 solar installations exist in Westchester County. By the end of the initiative”™s first year and a half, Orville expects another 400 systems to have been installed.
Funding for the initiatives was awarded earlier this month during the most recent round of funding under Gov. Andrew Cuomo”™s NY-Sun initiative.
In the last two years, the NY-Sun ”“ which seeks to drive growth in the solar industry ”“ has helped develop a total of 299 megawatts of solar photovoltaic capacity across the state, which is estimated to save about 145,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year.
The most recent funding round included $28.6 million in awards.
“The number of panels is increasing significantly and we”™re expecting it to really take off,” Orville said. “It”™s clear that New York state has made a big investment and big commitment to growth of solar installation.”
Partners within the initiative include the Energy Improvement Corp., Pace Land Use Law Center, SmartPower, Northern Westchester Energy Action Consortium, Southern Westchester Energy Action Consortium, Abundant Efficiency L.L.C. and Croton Energy Group.
State officials recently issued a unified solar permit model for municipalities to adopt, which Orville said the Westchester Solar Initiative plans to promote for all 45 municipalities in the county. Currently, some grant money is available for early adopters.
“A lot of municipalities have installed solar panels in their own communities; in most cases they would be very supportive in encouraging residents and commercial property owners to do the same,” Orville said. “The cost of solar has been falling very dramatically in the last few years. The opportunity to install is now to save on electricity bills.”
To accelerate the number of installations, Orville said the initiative plans to partner with several solar installers to offer reduced-rate installation periods for property owners in eight municipalities. Designing large marketing campaigns around the sales events, the initiative would likely spur another 400 installations worth $11 million within the first year and a half, Orville said.
“Inefficient permitting processes require time to look at,” Orville said. “Zoning barriers are costly and burdensome. Now municipalities will be able to take advantage of the resources we”™re providing to streamline and improve.”
