October 7, 2020
New York State has come a long way from net metering in 1997, to remote net metering in 2013, and community solar in 2015. Prevailing wages in relation to distributed generation projects has been a topic of discussion in NYS.
Do New Jersey commercial solar installations require prevailing wages?
New Jersey requires prevailing wages for solar-generating facilities that are 1MWdc+.
Do New York commercial solar installations require prevailing wages?
No, only solar installations that are providing electricity to public entities are required to pay prevailing wages.
Are you required to pay prevailing wages when constructing a community solar project on public-owned land leased by a private company?
As of October 2020 this is still not clear. YSG has submitted a request for information with the NYS DOL.
The Bureau of Public Work has made determinations that construction of photovoltaic systems under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for the purpose of meeting energy needs of the public entity is public work and requires the payment of the prevailing wage. As with all public work projects, the public entity must request a prevailing wage schedule from the Bureau of Public Work and provide it to the PPA contracted party.
All public entities in the State of New York must either obtain a prevailing wage schedule for all solar PPA projects, or alternatively request that a determination be made by the Bureau of Public Work regarding the proposed solar PPA project. All determinations will be rendered within 10 business days of the date of receipt of all pertinent documentation. Failure to follow this advisory may result in additional delays, costs, and penalties.
Looking for a New York solar installer? Get in touch with YSG Solar today. We serve the entire state including NYC, Long Island, Westchester, and more. Whether your project is residential or commercial, we are happy to discuss your options. Send us an email or call at 212.389.9215 to learn more.
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.
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