On October 17, 2022, the New York Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), in partnership with National Grid, announced that 21 community solar projects, totaling more than 120 MW, have been selected as the first round of the Expanded Solar For All program.[1] The program, which was approved by the state’s Public Service Commission (PSC) in January 2022, will serve nearly 175,000 income-eligible customers in National Grid’s upstate service areas once fully implemented. The announcement builds on NYSERDA’s NY-Sun program, the state’s $1.8 billion initiative to advance the scale-up of solar energy while reducing costs and making solar more accessible. According to the press release, the announcement also supports New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act) mandate that at least 35% of the benefits of clean energy investments be directed to disadvantaged communities. The installed distributed solar projects combined with projects under development go beyond the current Climate Act goal to install 6 GW of distributed solar by 2025.

NYSERDA expects to select an additional round of projects in 2023. As part of the program’s first phase, National Grid will provide up to $240 million in bill credits during the 25-year lifetime of the program. The second phase, subject to approval from the PSC, would double the total anticipated bill credits to up to $480 million over the program’s lifetime.

[1] https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/About/Newsroom/2022-Announcements/2022-10-17-NYSERDA-and-National-Grid-Announce-Round-1-Results