Tackle the city, with our help.
Manage your settings.
Hello, Reader!
Tackle the city, with our help.
Manage your settings.
Hello, Reader!
Nearly 30 New York City elected officials are urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign legislation that would let residents plug small solar systems into ordinary electrical outlets without first obtaining utility approval.
In a letter seen by amNewYork, City Comptroller Mark Levine, Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, and 27 City Council members, including Speaker Julie Menin, argue that the Solar Up Now New York Act could help apartment residents lower their electricity bills and generate renewable power.
Lawmakers and advocates are expected to rally for Hochul’s signature Thursday at City Hall Park, where organizers plan to use a solar panel to power a blender and hand out milkshakes. Whether the solar-powered milkshakes will bring Hochul to the yard – and the bill across the finish line – remains to be seen.
Hochul has not said whether she will sign the measure. Her spokesperson, Ken Lovett, told amNewYork the administration “will review the legislation.”
Brooklyn Assembly Member Emily Gallagher, the bill’s lead Assembly sponsor, said Hochul’s office has not raised any specific concerns with her about the measure. She noted that bills often take time to reach the signing stage and said she hoped to hear from the governor by the fall.
The officials wrote that most of their constituents live in apartment buildings without access to yards or roofs suitable for larger solar installations. They argue that plug-in panels could give those residents a cheaper and more accessible way to participate in the solar economy.
“One plug-in panel can potentially generate hundreds of dollars of yearly savings for New York households,” the officials wrote.
The bill, sponsored by Gallagher and Manhattan state Sen. Liz Krueger, passed both chambers of the state Legislature on May 28, clearing the Senate in a 59-1 vote. The letter notes that governors in six states — Utah, Virginia, Colorado, Maine, Maryland and Connecticut — signed plug-in solar legislation over the past year.
It would apply to photovoltaic systems that connect to a building’s electrical system through a standard outlet and have no more than 1,200 watts of continuous output.
The complete system would have to be listed or certified by an accredited, nationally recognized testing laboratory, be installed and operated in accordance with state fire and building codes and manufacturer instructions, and include a safeguard preventing it from dangerously energizing a building’s electrical system or the local grid during an outage.
Utilities could not require customers to obtain advance approval, pay a fee related to the device, or install additional controls beyond those built into the system. Customers would instead have to notify the utility within 30 days of installation.
Any excess electricity sent to the grid would go uncompensated unless the customer voluntarily entered a net-metering or other compensation agreement. The measure would take effect 90 days after becoming law.
The panels would not typically power an entire apartment, but could reduce a household’s grid electricity use. Savings would depend on the panel’s size, sunlight and household energy use.
Gallagher said the technology could extend some of the benefits of solar power to apartment residents who do not control a building’s roof. She said some systems could hang from balconies or patios, while others could fit into windows in a manner similar to a window air conditioner.
The bill removes utility barriers, but it would not stop landlords, co-op boards or condo associations from rejecting an installation.
Gallagher acknowledged that limitation and described the measure as the beginning of a broader effort.
“This is step one, and there will be more steps to follow after that,” she said in an interview on Wednesday.
Asked whether she would support subsequent legislation that would give renters clearer installation rights, Gallagher said she “definitely” would.
The tenant omission could matter in practice. Property owners are already raising objections that could lead them to block installations.
Ann Korchak, board president of Small Property Owners of New York, said the group is concerned about safety, liability, and property owners losing control over work performed on their buildings.
“Are tenants going to hire licensed electricians?” Korchak said. “Will improperly installed panels fall from a tenant’s window or balcony, or start a fire? Will panels interfere with emergency egress?”
Korchak argued that owners could face higher insurance premiums, city fines. or liability if an installation caused damage or an injury. She said property owners should control work involving façades, roofs and balconies, particularly in older buildings.
The bill does not expressly require residents to hire a licensed electrician, though installations must comply with state building and fire codes and manufacturer instructions. It would also direct the state to accommodate plug-in solar when it next adopts a uniform fire and building code.
The New York measure includes limited liability protections for utilities but does not specify how responsibility would be divided between tenants and property owners if a panel caused damage or injury.
Nothing in the SUNNY Act would prevent a landlord or building board from rejecting an installation. Across the Hudson, however, New Jersey lawmakers took a broader approach, passing a balcony-solar bill on June 30 that includes protections for renters and residents of co-ops and condos. 
Their measure would generally prevent landlords from barring qualifying systems used by tenants who pay their own electric bills, including panels placed within leased balconies and patios. Landlords could still impose reasonable restrictions on their dimensions, placement and manner of installation.
Tenants would have to give 14 days’ written notice and would be responsible for damage to their leased premises caused by the system. Landlords could also require indemnification against injuries or property damage caused by negligent installation, maintenance or use.
The New Jersey bill would similarly prevent co-op, condo and homeowners’ associations from enforcing blanket bans, though they could impose reasonable restrictions. New York’s measure contains no comparable provisions.
Priya Mulgaonkar, campaign director for the Green Co-op Council, said the coalition supporting the New York bill wants Hochul to approve the current measure first but is “ready to champion” additional policies intended to make plug-in solar more widely accessible.
“Our priority is to get this law on the books to remove the red tape, so that hopefully we can help kind of create the market for more plug-in panels and technology,” Mulgaonkar said.
She said the market’s development would help advocates determine what further protections are needed for renters and residents of co-ops and condos.
Supporters expect New York’s entry into the market to encourage manufacturers to produce more systems that meet U.S. certification standards.
The bill requires certification of the entire plug-in system, not merely its individual components. CNN reported earlier this month that complete plug-in solar systems had not yet received product certification from UL Solutions, though their individual components had been certified. A UL Solutions spokesperson told CNN that the company was actively testing the systems but did not give a timeline.
Gallagher said the American market is still developing but predicted that passage in a state as large as New York would encourage more manufacturers to produce qualifying systems.
“The market is already being built and evolving,” she said, adding that the legislation would signal demand for the technology.
Mulgaonkar expressed similar optimism, saying manufacturers are likely to adapt their products as more states establish standards and legal markets for plug-in solar. 
Gallagher said systems could cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars, depending on their size and installation. Mulgaonkar said some Green Co-op Council members are already measuring their balconies in anticipation of buying panels.
“We just need the governor to do her part,” she said.
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Schneps Media does not endorse the views shared by readers in our comment sections.
Post an Event
View All Events…
Find a pro
Hello, Reader!

source