ALBANY, NY – Advocates for clean energy called on the New York State Public Service Commission to expand access to community solar by approving proposed increases to customer bill savings and access for municipalities and other large customers. The advocates sent joint comments to the Public Service Commission in response to the Staff Whitepaper on Future Community Distributed Generation Compensation released on July 26, 2018. Advocates are urging the PSC to approve the proposed improvements by their November 15 meeting.
In addition to the joint letter, the following advocates issued the joint statement below: The Alliance for Clean Energy New York, Coalition for Community Solar Access, Natural Resources Defense Council, New York Solar Energy Industries Association, Pace Energy & Climate Center, Solar Energy Industries Association, and Vote Solar.
JOINT STATEMENT:
“We urge the Public Service Commission (PSC) to act quickly to approve the increases to market transition credits outlined in the July 26 proposal by Department of Public Service staff. In addition, we urge the PSC to make community solar work for municipalities, schools, businesses, and master metered buildings by extending eligibility for market transition credits to larger customers. These improvements to the Value of Distributed Energy Resources (VDER) tariff will help hundreds of community solar projects move forward across the state, expand access to community solar to hundreds of thousands more New Yorkers, and attract much needed investment in upstate communities. The groups also filed a petition this week at the Commission to improve calculations related to avoiding environmental damages. Without these improvements the state’s complex VDER framework will continue to undercompensate clean energy projects, hold back clean energy development, and prevent equitable access to New Yorkers who want to go solar and save on their electric bills.”
###