New York has reached 8 GW of distributed solar milestone, moving closer to its 10 GW by 2030 goal
The administration says that the state remains the largest community solar market in the US, with more capacity in development
The milestone has attracted $12.2 billion in private investment, created more than 16,000 jobs, and is backed by the NY-Sun program, says NYSERDA
The US State of New York has crossed 8 GW of installed distributed solar capacity, putting the state ahead of schedule to achieve its target of 10 GW by 2030, Governor Kathy Hochul announced.
The installed capacity is sufficient to power over 1.3 million homes and businesses, with community solar playing a major role in expanding access to clean energy since it enables households and businesses to benefit from solar power without installing rooftop systems.
The milestone has attracted around $12.2 billion in private investment and supported more than 16,000 jobs across the state, as per the governor’s office.
“This is low-cost, reliable clean energy that is delivering cost savings for families and businesses while expanding the availability of renewable energy which benefits our environment, our economy and contributes to New York’s diverse energy resource mix,” added Hochul.
The 8 GW capacity, underpinned by the state’s clean energy program NY-Sun, is another milestone for the state’s distributed solar market. In October 2024, it reported achieving 6 GW distributed solar target a year in advance, and added a record 1.28 GW of solar capacity in 2025 (see New York Achieves 6 GW Distributed Solar Target Ahead Of Schedule).
New York currently has more than 276,000 operational distributed solar projects, while another 2.7 GW is under development, says New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
President and CEO of NYSERDA, Doreen M. Harris said that New York accounts for 35% of the US community solar market, making it the country's largest community solar market. Distributed solar helped save consumers an estimated $90 million by lowering electricity demand during peak periods, stresses the agency.
On June 3, 2026, solar also met a record 29% of statewide electricity demand during the noon hour.
To support further deployment, New York has allocated $200 million for its NY-Sun program in the Fiscal Year 2027 budget. Under the Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power Act (ASAP), the state targets to achieve 20 GW distributed solar capacity by 2035.
The state legislature has also cleared the Solar Up Now New York (SUNNY) bill that would legalize plug-in solar or balcony solar in the state. It now awaits Governor Hochul’s signature to become a law (see North America Solar PV News Snippets).
