Solar Photovoltaics: Climate and Economic Benefits

by Bob Cieiselski, Atlantic Chapter Energy Committee Chair

Climate change caused by greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has been underway for well over a century. The best way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to replace the energy used to operate our electric, transportation, heating/cooling and manufacturing sectors with renewable electricity sourced from solar, wind and hydropower. This is the goal of the Sierra Club. It is also the goal of the 2019 New York State Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), which aims to produce 70% of our state’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

This year our Legislature also enacted the Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act to address the siting of large-scale renewable energy projects. The act also expands many of the local benefits of renewable energy installations, including solar arrays. For instance, solar and wind companies will be able to offer electricity discounts and rebates to residents of host communities where their projects are built. Current tax increase limits placed on school districts will also be removed to permit larger Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOTs) to schools from renewable projects.   

Solar power is one of the three (with wind and hydro) major renewable energy sources in our country.(1) In 2016, 43% of all energy workers were in the solar field — more than the total number of fossil fuel workers. The US Department of Energy found that in 2018, 3.43% of the country’s energy capacity was delivered by solar.

The CLCPA requires that all renewable energy jobs, whether construction or operational, be paid prevailing family wages. For this reason, the build-out of renewable projects in NYS enjoys the strong support of workers and unions.

New York State currently has over 2,000 megawatts of installed, distributed solar electricity (enough to power 240,000 homes). Investment of $74 million of state money has incentivized over $4 billion in private solar projects and helped reduce the cost of solar panels and installation. New York is currently ranked ninth among states in solar installation and third with jobs in the solar industry.

Rooftop solar is well known. The system is generally installed as solar panels. Tesla, with its large plant in Buffalo, is producing solar roofing shingles. Rooftop solar installations may either be purchased outright or leased from an installer.

Community Solar is another important development, with current facilities in Western New York and portions of the Hudson Valley and Southern Tier. New York has adopted Community Distributed Generation (CDG) for solar, wind and hydropower, which permits localized generation of electricity. Coupled with remote net metering legislation, Community Solar projects sell electricity through local utility providers to individual homeowners, religious institutions and small businesses. Most Community Solar projects are required to sell electricity at 10% below what you would pay for traditionally sourced electricity.

Large-scale solar projects are usually constructed on land that is leased. Farmers and landowners are paid by large-scale solar installers to lease their land. This revenue supplements their income, helping farmers to keep their land in agricultural production. Large-scale solar electricity feeds directly into the electric grid, with a guaranteed minimum input to the electric system. In many instances, this eliminates the need for electricity storage.

All siting of large-scale projects is subject to federal and state environmental guidelines, including such laws as the Endangered Species Act.

The State Department of Agriculture and Markets recommends that topsoil be removed from where the solar panels will be installed and returned after the panels are removed. The department also recommends trenching power cables to a depth of 48 inches to permit cultivation and planting to continue.

Agricultural activities, such as grazing sheep(2) and beekeeping(3), may continue in the areas where the ground-mounted panels are installed. Increased biodiversity also may result from solar panel installation, providing birds, animals and insects with chemical-free acreage.(4)

Towns generally have regulations requiring setbacks and year-round vegetative barriers being planted between solar arrays, rights of way and adjacent properties.

Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOTs) are paid by the solar companies to towns, school districts and counties. These are often fifteen times greater than taxes paid on farmland with an agricultural exemption.

Solar panels are generally manufactured from environmentally safe materials. All panels are constructed to prevent leaching of any materials, even in the event of a fire or hurricane winds.(5)

Bonds are also posted and renewed by solar companies to ensure the removal of panels at the end of their useful life from the farms and rural properties.

We ask our members to strongly support the development of solar and other renewable energy sources. Besides the need to reverse climate change, renewables are a powerful tool to enable New York to recover from the current health and economic crisis.