New York reaches 3 gigawatts installed solar power generating capacity

PHOTOGRAPHER: Governor's Office

A drone photo shows a new solar array in the town of Bethel. State officials cut the ribbon on the facility Tuesday.

ALBANY — Solar power installed across New York state has reached a combined capacity of 3 gigawatts.

The state announced the milestone Tuesday, and said that 2.7-gigawatts of additional solar capacity is under development. Combined, this will bring the state close to the 6-gigawatt goal set for 2025 by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act and pressed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has made green energy a priority.

Cuomo said Tuesday that installed solar capacity has increased 2,100% since the NY-Sun Initiative was launched in 2011 while the cost of solar has declined 69%. The solar-related workforce now totals approximately 12,000 statewide, he said.

The announcement of the 3-gigawatt milestone came at the ribbon-cutting for a 6.1-megawatt community solar project in the Hudson Valley town of Bethel. The project received more than $1 million in assistance via the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority through NY-SUN.

Three gigawatts is enough to power a half-million homes.