GHG Emissions, Commercial, Solar  -  December 16, 2024

NYC Public Schools Deploy Solar

The Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) and the New York City Public Schools announced the completion of the city’s largest collection of solar arrays to date.

Situated atop 72 public schools across the city — with 58 completed and 14 more expected to be completed by the end of the year — the new solar panels along with other recently completed projects will nearly triple the City's solar capacity since the pandemic, adding nearly 17 megawatts (MW) worth of energy generation to the City's portfolio.

These new installations bring the total number of schools with solar panels up to 104 for a total of 22.5 megawatts of solar energy capacity.

“Today’s ribbon cutting represents an incredible milestone in our city’s clean energy and sustainability efforts: over 100 solar panels on our schools, bringing renewable power to the city and augmenting the robust sustainability work happening inside our buildings,” said Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos in a statement. 

The arrays were installed through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with an investment subsidiary of Generate Capital, which is responsible for the costs of installation, operation and maintenance of the system. DCAS agreed to buy the solar power produced by the panels over the next two decades. The $85 million portfolio cost estimate is the total cost for the clean power over the next 20 years. Through the agreement, the city has saved an estimated $120 million in capital costs and millions more in annual operations and maintenance costs over the panels’ lifetimes.