NEW YORK – Con Edison customers in 2022 made Greater New York a cleaner, healthier place to live and work by placing a record number of solar arrays on the roofs of their homes and businesses.
Those 9,600 solar projects have the capacity to produce 89 megawatts of clean electricity, enough to power the part of Lower Manhattan that includes the New York Stock Exchange, other important financial institutions, and high-rise business and residential buildings.
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Con Edison customers in New York City and Westchester County have now completed 52,600 projects that have the capacity to produce more than 487 megawatts or 487 million watts. (One megawatt is equal to 1 million watts.)
The solar numbers are impressive because until about 15 years ago, solar panels on a New York City or Westchester County roof were a rarity.
The information is available in Con Edison’s Clean Energy Update, which is a running account of the region’s progress toward a clean energy future. The company updates the information each quarter.
“Our customers recognize the unique opportunity New Yorkers have to lead in reducing carbon emissions, stymieing climate change, and ensuring that the planet remains sustainable for future generations,” said Gregory Elcock, Con Edison’s vice president of Energy Efficiency and Distributed Resource Integration. “Our Clean Energy Update is a valuable resource for customers, policymakers, and others who want to track our progress in lowering emissions and helping New York City and State meet their environmental goals.”
The solar panels customers installed in 2022 are the equivalent of taking nearly 18,000 cars off the road in terms of greenhouse gas emissions avoided.
Con Edison wants to build on its success in helping customers complete solar projects by owning large-scale solar generation projects in the state. The company would like state approval for ownership of these projects because Con Edison can operate them more efficiently than private developers, meaning customers would save money.
Con Edison and its customers made gains in the adoption of other clean energy technologies in 2022, according to the update:
- The company’s PowerReady program incented 2,396 electric vehicle charging plugs. Those included 2,304 Level 2 plugs and 92 direct current fast chargers. Con Edison offers its PowerReady incentives in order to speed the region’s transition to electric vehicles.
- Con Edison’s Clean Heat program helped building owners install more than 11,500 air-source heat pump and 130 geothermal systems. These technologies provide electric
- heating during the winter and cooling during the summer without burning natural gas, oil or other fossil fuels.
- Customers installed 171 battery systems. Those systems can hold 6.3 megawatts of power. Customers with batteries charge them during times when demand is not at its highest and power is less expensive. Battery storage also pairs well with renewables.
Con Edison encourages its customers to consider whether solar energy is right for them and tries to make the interconnection process as easy and quick as possible.
Queens customers led the region in solar installations in 2022. Customers there completed 3,524 projects that have the capacity to produce 22.45 megawatts.
Westchester County was the leader in the amount of capacity installed. Customers there completed 1,461 projects with the capacity to produce 29.22 megawatts.
| 2022 Solar Additions in NYC and Westchester County | ||
| Projects | Capacity (MW) | |
| Bronx | 1,041 | 6.92 |
| Brooklyn | 2,016 | 12.21 |
| Manhattan | 57 | 1.55 |
| Queens | 3,524 | 22.45 |
| Staten Island | 1,525 | 16.96 |
| Westchester County | 1,461 | 29.22 |
| Total | 9,624 | 89.31 |
With the 2022 additions, Queens had the most installations at the end of the year, 17,378. Those panels have a capacity of 124.89 megawatts. Westchester County led in
total capacity with 131.92 megawatts.
| Total Solar Installations and Capacity in NYC and Westchester County | ||
| Projects | Capacity (MW) | |
| Bronx | 4,392 | 45.13 |
| Brooklyn | 9,499 | 73.63 |
| Manhattan | 382 | 9.57 |
| Queens | 17,378 | 124.89 |
| Staten Island | 11,056 | 102.18 |
| Westchester County | 9,909 | 131.92 |
| Total | 52,616 | 487.32 |
By generating their own electricity and using less fossil fuel-generated power, customers prevent greenhouse gas emissions.
Increasing the use of solar energy – and the other technologies covered in the Clean Energy Update – is consistent with Con Edison’s Clean Energy Commitment.
The company is seeking to build a grid that can deliver 100 percent clean energy by 2040. Con Edison is also moving away from natural gas. But the company continues to invest in its gas system to keep it safe while the transition away from fossil fuels continues.
