Solar energy was always a priority in New York. The government has finally made it a point to make sure that every new house has solar panels so that the city doesn’t contribute to global warming anymore. More than global warming, the city was on the top three lists of names that used maximum amount of natural resources. Notable celebrities like Leonardo Di Caprio and Barrack Obama constantly makes people aware of the consequences of climate change. The change in solar panel laws is a step forward to ensure that they bring back the parity of using reusable energy back.
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New York Solar Panel Law Changes
The new solar panel law states that both small and large scale industries should start using solar power to generate electricity. Apart from the commercial properties, industries, and factories, the residents of New York should also start shifting to solar power with solar panels in New York instead of using electrical utilities. The state would support everyone during the transition phase, but plans to cut off the help after a few years.
The authorities have also mentioned that construction companies should only install solar power in their new buildings and apartments. Every new construction project must come with solar energy instead of regular electricity lines.
The commercial scale solar power plants will feed electricity into their respective utility electricity grid. This will help to distribute solar electricity to institutions, commercial properties, individual homes, and various other apartments. The objective here is simple. New York wants to produce sustainable electricity by 2025. The law has come as a surprise for many because they don’t have money to shift to solar energy right away. That is why the state has requested the solar panel manufacturers to lower the price of their products for the time.
The change in the law is welcome news for the solar panel manufacturers also. They think that their business will finally shoot up, especially after the mandate takes place. Most of the manufacturing companies already have their hands full because the construction companies are already starting to follow the law.
New Metering Systems
The new law will also bring changes in the metering systems in New York. The solar technologies will come with net metering facilities. This is slightly different than the regular electricity meters. Net metering will allow the commercial scale solar power plants to store excess electricity in their electric grid. During summers, New York receives plenty of sunlight throughout the day. This will serve as the time when the solar power plants will work at its peak to generate and also conserve electricity for the rest of the year.
Many people are questioning whether the solar power plants will generate enough electricity to for every family for the entire year or not. What if they cannot meet the demands of the public? Well, the state government has provisions for that as well. They will not completely abolish electricity generated through natural resources. It will only serve during the times of emergencies. That is why the experts are looking at interconnection facilities that will help to run both solar power electricity and regular electricity on the same line.
Technologies to Harvest Solar Energy
As a part of the law, the state government declared that they will use three technologies to harvest solar energy.
1. Solar Photovoltaic
Solar photovoltaic technology or PV cells can convert sunlight to electricity directly. These are often used in houses. Families only need to buy solar cells and connect them to solar panels. Many people also connect multiple panels so that they don’t have to use regular electricity anymore. Many solar farms and factories are already using free-standing solar photovoltaic cells because they are easy to install and can offer direct electricity from the moment they connect the cells to the panels.
2. Solar Thermal Energy
This is also called solar water heating and is a common way to harvest the sunrays. Although this technology existed for decades, no one really was interested to invest in it because of its elaborate process. However, with the change in solar panel laws, the manufacturers have cut down the price of the equipment and various parts to make it more affordable. The solar hot water system will consist of a storage tank, a collector, controls and pumps, and piping and valves.
3. Passive Solar Energy
This method involves lighting and heating buildings directly from the sunrays. The walls, floors, windows, and the entire building will distribute solar energy in winters. The overhangs and awnings will shade the apartment when it is sunny. The local climate will play a significant role in this process.
So, New York finally seems sorted with its solar power approach. The new laws are well-thought of and would not affect the daily lives of people suddenly. The authorities believe that this change will help them make a greener city by 2025.
Map image by Wikimedia Commons User: TUBS / CC-BY-SA-3.0