Capital Region Small-Scale Commercial Solar Projects Increased in 2017

The Capital Region last year saw its biggest annual surge in the amount of solar power generation capacity from newly completed small commercial projects. Throughout the eight-county region in 2017, developers completed 106 small commercial projects with a total installed solar power generation capacity of 13,571 kilowatts. That represented a 58.2 percent increase in completions and a 186.4 percent spike in total installed capacity, when compared to the previous year, according to a Center for Economic Growth (CEG) analysis of data from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

The boost in total installed capacity came as more small commercial operations utilized more powerful solar systems. In 2017, projects averaged a total installed capacity of 128 kilowatts, compared to 71 the previous year and 53 kilowatts in 2013. Small commercial projects can generate up to 200 kilowatts, whereas anything more than that is categorized as commercial/industrial.

In 2017, nine commercial/industrial projects were completed regionwide, with a total installed capacity of 12,313. While that was down from the previous year’s record of 14 completed projects, it was the second highest number since the first such completions in 2013.

These small commercial and commercial/industrial projects accounted for only 9.3 percent of all completed solar projects, with the residential sector making up the remainder. However, 56.5 percent of the region’s total installed capacity came from non-residential projects.

CEG SolarGEN

CEG is aiming to add an addition 5,000 to 10,000 kilowatts to the region’s total installed capacity through a campaign it launched last summer with NYSERDA. The campaign, CEG SolarGEN, was New York’s first Solarize program for manufacturers. It streamlines the process of selecting solar developers, saving manufacturers (and other commercial enterprises) both time and money.

CEG SolarGEN benefits manufacturers by providing them with the following:

Pre-qualified developers;

Free site specific BIDs by multiple developers;

Expert advice and information

Special group discount.

Learn how SKS Bottle & Packaging is benefiting from CEG SolarGEN.

For more information about CEG SolarGEN or about CEG’s Energy and Sustainability Program, contact Program Manager Peter Lion at 518-465-8975 X234 or peterl@ceg.org.

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