ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) today approved the Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. Implementation Plan for its Shared Solar pilot program for low-income customers. This large-scale solar project in New York City will generate clean energy dedicated exclusively to saving low-income customers money on their utility bills while also protecting the environment. This is one of the first “shared solar” systems for low-income residents in New York State and is an important milestone in the Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) strategy.

“Con Edison’s Shared Solar pilot program is another model of how solar can grow in New York,” said Commission Chair John B. Rhodes. “This pilot will not only demonstrate how community distributed generation can benefit a low-income neighborhood, it will also contribute to New York’s visionary Clean Energy Standard. Serving low-income residents with clean energy is a core component of the REV strategy which is spurring clean energy innovation and improving statewide consumer choice and affordability to ensure all residents are able to participate in the transition to a clean economy.”

The system will be constructed by Con Edison as a pilot project that could include 800 to 1,600 customers throughout its service territory. Once operational, the system is expected to save each customer roughly $6 per month from the solar energy sold back to the electric grid and the program is designed to recover costs through the value of the electricity generated by the solar arrays. Con Edison is collaborating on the Shared Solar pilot with solar developers and community partners. The pilot is designed to help develop the overall DER market across the state and demonstrate the benefits of Community Distributed Generation (CDG) for low-income customers.

In addition to the quarterly reports Con Edison had proposed to submit, today’s order requires the company to file an annual report reviewing the Shared Solar credit process, comparing various credit calculation methodologies, comparing different low-income offerings in the service territory, and outlining lessons learned. Con Edison will also be required to convene a stakeholder engagement session to discuss the results of the annual report and any modifications to the pilot going forward.

The annual reports will provide valuable information to the Commission, customers, and stakeholders as to the successes and lessons learned from the Shared Solar pilot. The program is expected to operate throughout the useful life of the solar panels. While the pilot project will initially produce 3 MW of power, Con Edison could propose and seek Commission approval of an expansion to 11 MW that could serve a total of 6,000 customers if the pilot is deemed successful. The solar panels will be placed on rooftops and property owned by Con Edison. It will help remove barriers that block low-income families in multi-family buildings from participating directly in solar energy projects.

As part of the plan, Con Edison will contract with developers to design and build turnkey solar photovoltaic installations. Additionally, Con Edison will: work with local community partners to conduct outreach to build a pool of applicants; conduct a lottery to choose participants; provide a bill credit to participants based on the value of the exported solar electricity, net of Con Edison’s costs; and fund the solar credit bank to mitigate risk for non-participating customers. The insight gained from this pilot will lead to market development of other shared solar projects around the state that will bring the benefits of clean energy to more low-income customers.

Today’s decision may be obtained by going to the Commission Documents section of the Commission’s Web site at www.dps.ny.gov and entering Case Number 16-E-0622 in the input box labeled "Search for Case/Matter Number". Many libraries offer free Internet access. Commission documents may also be obtained from the Commission’s Files Office, 14th floor, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12223 (518-474-2500). If you have difficulty understanding English, please call us at 1-800-342-3377 for free language assistance services regarding this press release.