March 3, 2020
Orange & Rockland is an affiliate of Con Edison—and one of New York's largest electric utilities. Just miles away from NYC, Orange County enjoys all the benefits of a rural area, with the luxury of being close to the biggest city in the world.
Q. How do O&R electric rates compare, as a utility?
A. O&R has the third-highest electric utility rates for ratepayers, right behind ConEdison and PSEG-LI.
Due to the high costs of electricity and the abundant quantity of land, the O&R territory is a huge target for community solar project development. This mix of modest land costs (compared to Long Island & NYC) and high electric rates (on average about $0.13/kWh, based on 2020 rates) makes for an ideal community solar location. Furthermore, the addition of NYSERDA's NY-Sun initiative provides a performance-based cash incentive, and now a community adder incentive is available too. The federal government has an investment tax credit which, as of 2020, is at 26% and requires a tax equity investor to monetize the tax credit and accelerated depreciation.
YSG Solar has years of experience successfully developing solar projects in the O&R territory—and siting some of the best projects in the region. We have worked in the town of Wawayanda and been involved with a local law, which allows the use of solar generating facilities—and specifically community solar projects. YSG has also worked in the following towns:
Goshen, NY
Florida, NY
Warwick, NY
Blooming Grove, NY
& many others
Homeowners and businesses, both large and small, are in a uniquely opportune position, with many community solar projects to choose from. We encourage all of those who fall into this category to investigate a potential community solar subscription in Orange County, NY.
YSG Solar offers community solar services and can help you subscribe. YSG is a high-volume developer with access to a majority of the community solar projects in Orange County and New York State. YSG Solar also values relationships and is happy to be a resource for those seeking information.
Landowners in Orange County, New York
Landowners with at least 10 usable acres of land—that are interested in leasing that land for a solar farm—this may be the best crop for you. Solar farms that are 5 MW and under must be connected to a three-phase electrical line. Your land should be within 3,000 feet of three-phase power, but if not, it doesn’t hurt to investigate your options anyway. Landowners looking to lease land for a solar farm should speak to the project developer about their experience. Additionally, it's always great to speak to other landowners who have worked with that developer from start to finish.
Certain developers may offer high rates to get a lease/letter of intent signed for a solar farm —and then change the rate after a few months. This is clearly not a great way to conduct business and something to be cautious about, as there are many brokers just looking to generate a quick buck. YSG Solar is a project developer, providing transparent information on how we calculate project costs—including the land lease rates for solar farms.
Helpful links for Community Solar New York:
YSG Solar is a project development vehicle responsible for commoditizing energy infrastructure projects. We work with long-term owners and operators to provide clean energy assets with stable, predictable cash flows. YSG's market focus is distributed generation and utility-scale projects located within North America.
If you’re interested in New York City community solar, contact us. YSG Solar has over a decade of experience in the solar industry, and an exciting new community solar project available for subscription. Contact YSG Solar today to learn how it works and find out how much you could save on your utility bill. Send us an email, or call the office at 212.389.9215 to learn more.