New installations, funded by City and NY-Sun Initiative, are first step toward 100 MW of new solar on City-owned buildings and long-term goal of 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050
Today, outside the Kennedy Campus, Mayor de Blasio announced a major investment in solar power at City schools, funding 24 installations as part of the administration’s new green buildings plan (One City, Built to Last), tripling the amount of solar currently planned on City-owned buildings, and marking another step forward as the City works to dramatically reduce its contributions to climate change. The Kennedy Campus is one of nine schools that currently use solar panels (500 in all at the school) to generate energy.
The 24 new installations will be funded by the City, as well as by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) under Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s NY-Sun Initiative. The $28 million investment includes $23 million in City funds and an estimated $5 million in grants from NYSERDA. The Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) and the New York Power Authority will implement the projects, in partnership with the Department of Education (DOE). The planned 6.25 MW of solar power at these 24 installations will result in a reduction of more than 2,800 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions a year, the equivalent of taking over 600 cars off the road every year. The solar installations will be paired with an environmental curriculum plan, including dashboards and web portals where students can track in real time what the systems are generating and the amount of emissions that have been offset, and undertake related analyses of the systems’ impacts.
The Mayor made the announcement outside the John F. Kennedy Educational Campus, which is home to a rooftop solar installation that will serve as an innovative and cost-effective model for installing solar.
The new solar projects are part of a larger commitment announced at the start of Climate Week. Last week, Mayor de Blasio announced that New York City is committed to an 80 percent reduction in its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over 2005 levels by 2050, charting a long-term path for investment in renewable sources of energy and a total transition from fossil fuels. This commitment starts with the sweeping green buildings plan announced last week.
One City, Built to Last focuses on dramatically reducing emissions from buildings, which account for nearly three-quarters of the City’s GHG emissions. The Mayor has committed to retrofitting every single City-owned building with significant energy use by 2025, including installing 100 MW of solar power.
Additionally, the City will spur private building to invest in efficiency upgrades, including by providing ambitious interim targets and incentives and implementing mandates if targets are not met. In particular, the City plans to catalyze an additional 250 MW of solar power on private buildings.
After the announcement Mayor de Blasio took questions on topic, and eventually off topic. I asked after 12 stagnant years of student performance under the previous mayor what was this mayor going to do to improve student performance in the public schools. Since Chancellor Carmen Farina was not present Mayor de Blasio said that there will be many things to come in struggling schools, and the mayor even came back to my question later saying that many parts of the school system are not working, and have to change. Without any mention of how or what he wants to change the mayor said that he is devoted to the public school system.
There were questions about the ground hog's death, and if the mayor was going to pick it up this coming year, which the mayor answered that is up to the zoo. About possible legislation for letter grades on nail salons proposed by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. the mayor said that he has not seen the proposal. The mayor was also asked about the recent pedestrian deaths during his Vision Zero program. The mayor said that it is up to individual behavior, but with the deterrents like speed zones and cameras that he thinks peoples behavioral patterns can be changed for the better.
