Does New York have a bright energy future with solar?; Assembly hearing scheduled

And Hochul has hired a new counsel ahead of Liz Fine's exit.

Good afternoon — it’s Friday and National Food Bank Day.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

TODAY’S CAPCON:

• How does solar power fit into New York’s transition toward renewable energy sources? There are some obstacles.

• An industry that finances litigation is under the microscope of the state court system and stakeholders want action.

• How Eric Adams responded to Thursday’s FBI raids and what some of his 2025 opponents said.

• The Assembly has scheduled a public hearing at the Capitol for October. Read what it’s about.

🍂 Tonight’s Weather: Albany: Partly cloudy, low 60s. New York City: Mostly cloudy, high 60s. (National Weather Service)

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(Associated Press)

☀️ Solar energy is growing in New York but not fast enough, industry leaders say

⚡ Here’s a snapshot of what solar energy looks like now in New York, where it’s headed and what industry leaders say would get us there.

Enough solar energy is produced in New York right now to power at least 600,000 average homes.

• That number is based on math from the Solar Energy Industries Association and isn’t an exact estimate.

That’s a lot of power. But, as I wrote Thursday, it’s tiny compared to the amount of energy produced in New York through fossil fuels and nuclear power.

Distributed solar — rooftop and community solar projects — have a capacity right now of about 5.8 GW (gigawatts), according to state data.

That’s ahead of schedule: New York is supposed to have 6 GW of distributed solar online by the end of 2025 and the industry expects to cruise past that goal.

“Last year alone, we built almost a gigawatt of distributed solar,” said Noah Ginsburg, executive director of the New York Solar Energy Industries Association. “We have a really strong market in New York state.”