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KINGSTON, N.Y. — The only thing preventing New Yorkers from plugging solar panels directly into their wall outlets is a signature.
City, county and state officials gathered at City Hall Thursday to urge Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign Solar Up Now New York (SUNNY) Act (S8512A), which has sat on her desk since it passed both chambers of the state legislature in April.
“Here in the Hudson Valley, our energy bills are rising for families, for businesses, for farmers, and for everyone across the state, folks need relief,” David Chernack, an environmental advocate at Scenic Hudson, said. “There’s a powerful action that Governor Hochul can take right now… and that’s the SUNNY Act.”
The bill would allow “plug-in” solar panels that power directly into standard wall outlet, powering homes and reducing electric bills. The act also streamlines red-tape, allowing renters to put up panels in garages, backyards, balconies and roofs.
County Executive Jen Metzger said the governor’s delay in signing SUNNY made “no sense.”
“This is a no-brainer technology that’s already in place. Millions of people have it. It just makes absolutely no sense. And this is not a climate activist issue — although I am one — but this is a partisan issue,” Metzger said, adding that she hoped to add a panel to her own home if the bill becomes law.
The SUNNY Act passed the State Senate on April 22, 2026 unanimously — 62-0 — poising New York to join Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina and Oklahoma in allowing plug-ins. Advocates said millions of plug-ins are also reducing costs for millions in the European Union and United Kingdom.
Attendees urged Hochul to sign the bill “today,” with Shrestha lamenting that the best time for solar, the summer, had already passed.
“We don’t want to be at the dead, gloomy dark days of the winter by the time this bill is signed,” Shrestha said.
Shrestha has championed the Hudson Valley Power Authority Act (A2127A), which would replace Central Hudson with a publicly-owned and accountable state corporation. The bill is currently in committee in the state assembly.
Shrestha brought up her landmark bill, but said SUNNY would be immediate relief.
“We have an energy system that is a monopoly, and this is a great way — while we fight for energy democracy, while we fight for power that truly belongs to the people — to start letting people have some solar on their houses in their buildings,” Shrestha said.
The financial benefit of plug-ins was noted by advocacy groups and politicians alike, ahead of a winter where rising costs are expected to make heating costs higher than ever.
New Paltz Mayor Alexandria Wojcik called SUNNY a place where “the housing crisis and the affordability crisis intersect.”
For New Paltz, where Wojcik said 80% of residents are renters, SUNNY will expand cost-reducing opportunities to those who need it, according to the mayor.
Bennett Radcliffe, a Bearsville resident, shared his experience with a trial program for plug-in solar panels.
“I was fortunate to try the panel. It was easy. It arrived in a box, and I just plugged it right in… It immediately began lowering my energy bills,” Radcliffe said.
Radcliffe added that the panel made him also feel safer in case of black-outs and storms, when he will no longer need to use his propane generator.
“It saves us money. It’s sustainable,” he said.
Several more, including Kingston Mayor Steve Noble shared remarks in support of the law.
The press conference was closed with a call-and-response chant led by environmental advocate Shokoofeh Rajabzadeh.
“Plug-in solar everywhere, Sign SUNNY, do your share. Say it loud, say it clear. We want plug-in solar here!”
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