New York Solar Energy Industries Association Supports Expanding Solar Initiatives in New York State Energy Plan
New York Solar Energy Industries Association members will be speaking at hearings in the NY metro area, Hudson Valley, Buffalo, Binghamton, Utica and the Capital District. The association advocates increased solar energy initiatives for the state.

ENDICOTT, NY, August 25, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Members of the New York Solar Energy Industries Association (NYSEIA), the trade association representing the New York solar energy industry, will publicly comment at a series of statewide public hearings on the proposed state Energy Plan and advocate for expanded solar initiatives.

The association backs increasing incentives for photovoltaic installations, adding state solar water heating and solar space heating programs, instituting a state government solar energy purchasing program, providing funding incentives for smaller and mid-sized solar companies, and revising net-metering laws, among other initiatives.

"NYSEIA applauds the state for its recognition of the potential for solar energy in New York," said Executive Director John Siciliani. "However, the Association advocates a more detailed and long-term vision to make New York the leading market for solar energy in the Northeast."

NYSEIA President Ron Kamen said: "Solar can help the state turn the economy around, de-couple our electric rates from oil and gas imports, clean our air and water, and return New York to its rightful place as the best place to live and raise a family."

Over the next 10 years, solar electric and solar thermal technologies have the potential to create tens of thousands of jobs and provide over 4,000 MWs of electric and thermal-equivalent capacity, the association noted.

NYSEIA advocates that the following fundamental elements be included in the New York State Energy Plan:

• Create a long-term plan that provides clear incentives by 2017 for the deployment of 2,000 MW photovoltaics (PV), or systems that convert sunlight directly into electricity. New York needs to enact policies that will provide clear, long-term solar incentives that phase out over time as the PV installations reach economies of scale, the group said.

• Provide a solar solution for the more than 50 percent of the state's energy consumption used for space heating and hot water. New York needs to include solar water heating and solar space heating technologies in the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), according to the association.

• Institute a NYS Government Solar Energy Purchasing Program to provide simple mechanisms for New York State government agencies, authorities and municipalities to purchase PV and solar thermal products. "Government needs to lead by example - which will both reduce costs and inspire additional consumer confidence in the technologies," Siciliani said.

• Recognize the unique value that PV and solar thermal systems provide when deployed in different areas and applications. Solar displaces the most expensive -- and polluting -- power in utility load pockets areas where the grid is particularly stressed and peak demand coincides with solar's production curve. "Solar thermal provides the same peak load reduction and can reduce electricity demand for the 900,000 state residents who use electricity to heat their hot water," said Kamen.

• Create jobs quickly by funding incentives for small- and medium-sized solar systems, noting that the added values of solar are enhanced when deployed in smaller increments on a distributed basis. Smaller systems are shovel ready, can be deployed in the near-term and on a shorter project timeline. "As New York's economy looks to recover from its current recession, small-scale distributed solar generation (both electric and thermal) provide a near-term opportunity for job creation and clean energy deployment," according to Siciliani.

• Change the commercial net-metering laws. The Energy Plan recognizes the deficiency in New York's current net-metering statute and its failure to adequately serve the commercial market for PV. New York needs to remove the current capacity limit for commercial PV systems that is based on a customer's peak demand, and instead limit system size to a customer's annual electricity consumption, the association said.

• Attract a solar manufacturing base by creating demand for solar products, developing a trained workforce to install and service the demand, and building "Technology Clusters of Excellence," where New York's best minds already exist in our universities and colleges.

About NYSEIA
The New York Solar Energy Industries Association, founded in 1994, is the only statewide non-profit membership and trade association dedicated solely to advancing solar energy use in New York State. For information, visit http://www.nyseia.org

Media Contacts:
Ron Kamen, President: 917-453-5740
John Siciliani, Executive Director: 518-495-1454

Press Release Contact Information:

Ron Kamen
New York Solar Energy Industries
President
533 Woodford Ave.
Endicott, NY
USA 13760
Voice: (518) 495-1454
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