Affordable Solar Predevelopment and Technical Assistance
The Affordable Solar and Storage Predevelopment and Technical Assistance solicitation provides funding to address resource gaps and solve market barriers preventing the development of solar and energy storage installations benefitting low-to-moderate (LMI) income households.
Many LMI households are unable to access benefits from conventional residential solar and energy storage installations. To help expand access, this program supports projects leading to:
- The implementation and operation of solar and/or storage installations for affordable housing
- The implementation and operation of community solar installations that will offer benefits to LMI households and/or affordable housing
Projects related to on-site solar and/or energy storage installations for owner-occupied houses are not eligible for funding through this solicitation. However, support for single-family affordable housing portfolios may be eligible, and NY-Sun provides support to LMI homeowners through the Affordable Solar Program.
Who Can Apply
Eligible applicants include multifamily affordable housing providers, community organizations or agencies, and technical service providers (such as in energy, legal, or finance) working in partnership with any of these entities.
How it Works
Proposals may request funding that will be scaled to the scope and complexity of the project up to $200,000 for predevelopment and technical assistance work on a proposed solar and/or energy storage project or group of projects. This program funds project activities in areas including, but not limited to:
- Early stage project planning, project team organization, and site identification
- Organizing a project business model and securing financing
- Procurement and contracting
- Customer outreach and enrollment
- Preliminary site assessments
- Development of cooperative or community ownership model
- Development of project models that allocate benefits to an environmental justice (EJ) community
- Resiliency enhancements activities for LMI households, EJ communities, or disadvantaged communities by solar and/or storage projects
This funding does not apply to system design, engineering, hardware, installation, or other costs related to the construction of a solar project.
How to Apply
Applications to the Affordable Solar and Storage Predevelopment Technical Assistance program will be accepted on a rolling basis via the application portal
and reviewed quarterly. Please review PON 3414 Current Funding Opportunities for program details and required attachments. The deadline for applications is December 31, 2024.
Resources
PON 3414: Q1 2022 NY-Sun Predevelopment Program Quarterly Webinar
Access the Q1 webinar that covered program basics, updates, supported activities, and how to apply.
PON 3414: Predevelopment Program Re-launch
Access details regarding the re-launch of the Affordable Solar and Storage Predevelopment and Technical Assistance program
Upcoming Webinars
PON 3414: Q2 2022 NY-Sun Predevelopment Program Quarterly Webinar
Register for the next webinar on Thursday, June 2 from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. ET.
Contact
If you have questions about the solicitation, please email affordablesolar@nyserda.ny.gov.
If you would like to receive on-going communications and updates about the NY-Sun Affordable Solar program, please sign-up for our email list.