Solar advocates cite low cost

Jan 25 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Larry Rulison Times Union, Albany, N.Y.

A coalition of renewable energy, environmental and labor groups says a proposal to dramatically increase solar generation in New York would end up costing the average homeowner only an additional 39 cents on his monthly electric bill.

The figure -- which would be the average monthly cost over a 13-year period -- was revealed by members of the New York Solar Jobs Coalition on Tuesday during a meeting with the Times Union editorial board.

The coalition, which has the backing of the state AFL-CIO, is making a push to get state legislation passed this year that would create a market-based trading system that would give subsidies to developers of large solar projects, as well as smaller ones.

Proposals for such a trading system, which is opposed by the The Business Council of New York State, have been introduced in previous legislative sessions but never passed. But the coalition says this year could be its best chance because Gov. Andrew Cuomo has made expanding the solar industry one of his economic development priorities.

"I think the time is right for this," said Carol Murphy, executive director of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York, an Albany trade group that represents renewable energy development.

The coalition believes that creating a system of tradeable solar energy credits, which utilities like National Grid would be required to purchase, could spur the construction of 5,000 megawatts of solar electric generation in the state, which currently has only 100 megawatts. The credits would be tied to each megawatt hour of solar generation, providing an incentive for developers to build large solar farms or for businesses to build large solar arrays on their roofs. Utilities would likely seek regulatory approval to pass the additional costs along to ratepayers.

Other states such as New Jersey that have such trading systems have seen an explosion of solar development, coalition members say, and with it the "supply chain" of vendors, installers and even manufacturing.

"The benefits outweigh the cost," said Jackson Morris, senior policy adviser at Pace Energy and Climate Center in Albany. "There's no question it's worth the investment."

The Business Council estimates that one version of the legislation would cost $30 billion over the life of the program and argues that solar technologies are still too expensive to be cost effective. The Business Council also argues that electricity in the state is already too expensive, especially since electric bills already include state surcharges that support other renewable energy subsidies and subsidies for energy research programs.

Reach Larry Rulison at 454-5504 or at lrulison@timesunion.com.