New York Approves 309 Megawatts of Solar Projects

The New York State Office of Renewable Energy issued siting permits for three solar projects that have a combined capacity of 309 megawatts. These projects are expected to spur more than $458 million in capital investment and create more than 460 jobs in development, construction, as well as operations and maintenance.

Once operational, these projects, located in Cortland and Jefferson Counties, will add 542,000 megawatts of renewable capacity annually. The facilities are expected to generate enough energy to supply over 69,000 homes annually and cut carbon emissions by over 356,000 metric tons.

The aforementioned projects, coupled with eight previously permitted facilities since 2021, mark the approval of nearly 1.8 gigawatts of capacity — the fastest pace of renewable energy project approvals in New York’s history, according to the office. So far, New York has approved a total of 20 new renewable energy projects since 2021. Including projects sited through the State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment, New York has granted approval for 20 new renewable energy projects since over the last two years.

New York has a goal of sourcing 70 percent power from renewable resources on the path to a carbon-free grid. The state has made significant investment in clean energy including $35 billion in large-scale renewable and transmission projects, $6.8 billion to reduce buildings emissions, $1.8 billion to scale up solar, more than $1 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $1.6 billion in NY Green Bank commitments.