Commercial, Regulation, Solar, Sourcing Renewables, Wind  -  June 20, 2019

New York State passes most ambitious clean-energy bill to date

The New York State legislature approved June 20 the most aggressive clean energy bill in the country to date, including a goal to source all electricity from emission-free sources by 2040 and an 85% reduction in economy-wide emissions by 2050.

The legislation also calls for huge additions of solar power and wind farms off the coast of New York State, Bloomberg reported. It will also allow for an additional 3 gigawatt of energy storage capacity by 2030 and allocate funding for housing, workforce development, pollution reductions and low-income energy assistance in disadvantaged communities.

"As Washington turns a blind eye and rolls back decades of environmental protections, New York turns to a future of net zero emissions," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement.

Under the renewable energy projects outlined in the bill, the amount of solar power in New York would increase to 6 billon gigawatts by 2025 (up from the current 1.7 gigawatts). Nine gigawatts of offshore wind power would be installed by 2035.

Industry groups note that the bill will lead to stricter pollution limits for power plants and incentives to phase out oil and natural gas from home heating systems, Bloomberg reported. Opponents have voiced concerns about the potentially higher costs for manufacturing.

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