Governor Hochul: New York has achieved 6 gigawatts of distributed solar installed statewide one-year early

ALBANY, NY- Governor Kathy Hochul has announced that 6 gigawatts (GW) of distributed solar have been installed across New York, marking the early achievement of the State’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act statutory goal a year ahead of schedule.

The solar power generation, which benefits homes, business owners and off-takers of community solar projects, is enough to power more than a million homes, underscoring New York’s leadership in growing one of the strongest distributed solar markets in the nation.

“Distributed solar is at the heart of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, expanding the availability of renewable energy, and delivering substantial benefits for our health, our environment, and our economy,” Hochul said.

To date, solar projects in New York have created more than 14,000 solar jobs statewide, from engineering and design to installation, according to the Governor’s office.

In addition, New York requires all solar projects more than 1 megawatt (MW) in size to pay prevailing wages, further supporting the opportunity to advance family sustaining clean energy jobs across New York.

The Governor says that New York is the national leader in community solar deployments, allowing renters, low-income residents, and others who cannot install their own panels to benefit from solar energy.

In 2023, New York ranked first in the nation in total installed community solar capacity. Last year was also the state’s most productive year ever for solar installations, with 885 MW of capacity installed.

Image via the office of New York Governor Kathy Hochul.