The New York state government has created a five-year, $25 million solar thermal incentive program – the first of its kind in the state. Under the newly released Program Opportunity Notice (PON) 2149, the state will provide incentives of up to $4,000 for residential systems and as much as $25,000 for nonresidential applications to encourage replacing hot water systems with solar thermal systems.
The New York State Public Service Commission allocated the funding to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority through the state's renewable portfolio standard (RPS) program. The New York Solar Energy Industries Association, which has advocated for the inclusion of solar thermal in the RPS for the past two years, applauded the state's decision.
‘PON 2149 includes incentives needed to jump-start the solar thermal market,’ says Gail Markels, executive director of NYSEIA. PON 2149 also addresses NYSEIA's push for a streamlined application process to encourage usage and bring certainty to the industry. The program will use the same streamlined processing that has been recognized as effective and workable for the recently revised PV incentive program, NYSEIA says.
SOURCE: New York Solar Energy Industries Association
