March 27, 2020
Last month, on Thursday February 6, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio delivered his annual State of the City address. For the renewable energy sector, it was a notable address, given its heavy focus on climate change and the promise of innovative clean energy initiatives for the city. With our obvious interest in the solar industry, and our desire for a clean, green future for New York City, this emphasis on tackling climate change is very welcome here at YSG Solar.
De Blasio’s proposal, entitled ‘Save Our Future’, is outlined in full on the City of New York’s website—along with the rest of his 2020 agenda—but we’ve detailed some of the key points below. ‘Save Our Future’ is intended to carry on the Green New Deal agenda, in order to implement clean energy, cut emissions, remove wasteful plastics, and push toward a carbon neutral New York City.
Wind: The South Brooklyn Marine Terminal in Sunset Park will be equipped as a new hub for staging, installing, and operating wind turbines across the entire tri-state area. This move will create 500 green jobs and the associated wind power generated will be equal to the removal of 200,000 cars from the road.
Solar: In order to boost solar deployment in New York City, the City will launch a new program to delay the upfront costs associated with solar power. This delay will give homeowners the ability to pay for their solar systems with the savings arising from going solar. The City also plans to double the amount of solar power produced in NYC by installing panels on 50,000 one-to-four family homes. This initiative will also create 5,000 green jobs.
Hydro: In order to get City government operations running on 100% renewable energy, the City will secure an agreement for more zero-emission hydropower in NYC by 2025.
Single-use Plastic Bottles: NYC government, through an Executive Order, will end the purchase of unnecessary single-use plastic bottles, and restrict the sale of single-use plastic bottles on City property by 2021.
Electric Vehicles: As per an upcoming Executive Order, all on-road vehicles in the fleet will be plug-in electric by 2040. The first step in this process will involve replacing/converting 4,000 vehicles to electric by 2025. The plan is for the first electric school buses to be on the streets later this year (2020).
Fossil Fuels: The City plans to end the use of all fossil fuels, including natural gas, in large building systems in NYC by 2040, while also preventing the introduction of new fossil fuel infrastructure. An Executive Order will be issued to codify this policy of preventing new fossil fuel infrastructure.
If you want to go solar in New York City, contact YSG Solar today. YSG has been operating in the state of New York and surrounding areas for over ten years now, with experience in all kinds of solar energy projects from rooftop residential to large-scale commercial. Send us an email, or call at 212.389.9215 to get started.
By Shane Croghan
Sources:
https://electrek.co/2020/02/07/new-york-city-new-green-energy-plan/
https://www1.nyc.gov/site/sustainability/codes/energy-supply.page