Last week the U. S. Government imposed tariffs on imported solar panel and cells. The duties will start at 30% the first year, dropping 5% annually until 2022, when it expires. The first 2.5 gigawatts imported each year will be exempted.
SMART DG HUB PUBLISHES STORAGE 101
CUNY's Smart DG Hub Resilient Solar Project has published a comprehensive compilation of introductory energy storage information aimed at a wide base of users unfamiliar with the subject.
Storage 101 is a basic information tool that has been informed by an intensive 3-year effort and presented in a simplified reference guide that will help users quickly gain a broad understanding of energy storage and how it fits into the overall picture of renewable energy and resiliency policies and initiatives. The Resilient Solar project is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Market Pathways program.
NY STATE GROWS SOLSMART-ER
Erie County, with Sustainable CUNY's assistance, recently achieved SolSmart's highest designation - Gold! SolSmart is a U.S. Department of Energy-funded solar energy program for local governments that provides a nationally recognized designation to communities that take, or have taken, actions to reduce local barriers to solar energy. Erie County, New York States eighth largest county and largest outside of the downstate area, joins the ranks of the Town of Warwick and New York City as SolSmart Gold Designees, with the Town of Huntington being awarded Bronze. SolSmart now covers 9.5 million New York State residents - and growing! If your community is interested in free assistance from the ombudsman team and federal recognition for smart solar policies, please email
nysolar@cuny.edu
NYC SOLAR SNAPSHOT
SOLARIZE NYC INVITES LMI COMMUNITIES TO APPLY
Solarize NYC, a collaborative program of the NYC Mayor's Office of Sustainability, and the NYC Economic Development Corporation led by Sustainable CUNY, is accepting applications from community-based organizations for funding and technical support for Solarize campaigns in the five boroughs. Organizations with deep roots in low and middle income (LMI) communities that have historically had little access to solar are urged to apply. See
Solarize NYC for more information.
HIRING TECH SOLAR OMBUDSMAN
CUNY is seeking a Technical Distributed Generation (DG) Ombudsman/Engineer to contribute to the technical aspects of the various programs under management by Sustainable CUNY.
Apply Here
FROM THE DIRECTOR
There are many who are concerned that the new solar tariff and all the changes at both the federal and state level will impact the growth of solar in New York that you see in the charts above. Clearly New Yorkers have now seen the (solar) light, Sustainable CUNY is committed to continuing to help find a path through the ever changing landscape so that the empire state has a strong sustainable solar market that is accessible to all.
NYSolar Smart is a strategic effort led by Sustainable CUNY of the City University of New York that supports Federal, State and NYC solar initiatives to strategically remove barriers to large scale solar deployment.
