NYC DCAS Doubles City’s Total Solar Capacity in Less Than Three Years

NYC's Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) recently announced that since November 2020, the City of New York has completed 10 megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaic (PV) projects on City properties; doubling the City’s total capacity to a total of 22 MW. This achievement equates to removing over 1,500 cars from city streets per year and reducing annual greenhouse gas emissions by 8,800 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

DCAS also announced that construction will begin this fall to install solar PV systems at over 60 City-owned buildings in Brooklyn and Queens. Through an agreement between the City and the state Power Authority, this work will add over 30 MW of solar PV generating capacity and up to 10 MW of large-scale battery storage to provide energy to power City operations. The 60-plus City-owned buildings will be made up of New York City public school rooftops and six Department of Environmental Protection wastewater resource recovery facilities, including installations at the Wards Island facility, which is projected to be the largest clean energy installation at a wastewater treatment facility anywhere in the world.

"I want to congratulate the City on its impressive achievements to increase renewable energy production at public buildings," said Local Union No. 3, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Business Manager, Christopher Erikson. "We are proud that the new solar and battery storage installations at New York City schools and water infrastructure sites that were announced today will be constructed by the highly skilled members of Local 3 IBEW; union jobs that support middle-class families in the five boroughs and beyond that foster diversity, equity and inclusion. We relish the opportunity to work with the City and the New York Power Authority to build the green economy and solve the climate crisis." Read more here.