• New York City Solar Map


• Accelerating Solar Installations in NYC


• Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV)

Last Thursday I attended NYC Solar Submit 2011 in CUNY. With Germany leading the world in 16,500 MW installations so far, NYC is turning into a solar city now. In 2007, NYC was awarded a Solar America City with less than 1 MW at that time. In 2015, the city is on track to achieve the goal of 8.1 MW.

The newly launched NYC Solar Map already attracted thousands of home owners, commercials, industrials and installers to use this online tool in just a few hours after its official launch. It was created by CUNY and DOE by collecting detailed information about the rooftop. There are 15 billion measurement points on solar map. Two-thirds of rooftops are suitable for solar installations, which could generate enough power to meet half of the entire city’s energy needs at peak times. The next generation of the solar map is to allow people to view real time energy data generation and its in development progress.

I couldn’t wait to examine the map at my lunch break. The NYC solar map is very interesting and from the map, you can view the existing installations, select your roof on your home and estimate your specific solar potential. The authorities shared their view of solar development in New York and the U.S. In order to take NYC to the next level, they believe the permit process needs to be shorter. For example, it would be much less time consuming if the permit was one-stop and could be done through an online application and if the installers better understood the process.

Some speakers expect that grid parity will hit residential areas first and by 2015, two thirds of the residential areas should reach parity. This will happen as the customer acquisition cost goes down over time and the potential net metering is better designed, also the reduced administration such as the permit and inspection complexities. Solar is just going to be easier. Some experts expect grid parity within 5 years, which is around 2015-2016.

Speaking of BIPV, I was very excited when I saw my friend’s building was pictured as a building which installed solar energy. It’s such a great idea to integrate solar into the building’s glass to save energy.  However, currently, there is still a lack of manufacturing capabilities, standards and codes. The initial cost is still high to most owners although they can see pay back in day one after installation.