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Inclusive Community Solar Adder

 

The Inclusive Community Solar Adder (ICSA) is available for community solar projects serving low-to-moderate income (LMI) subscribers, affordable housing, and other facilities serving disadvantaged communities. The goal of the ICSA is to increase access to community solar and resulting electric bill savings for LMI households and to reduce operating costs for affordable housing and nonprofit entities serving disadvantaged communities. The ICSA initially launched on July 20, 2021 and Round 1 closed on June 7, 2022. The following information applies to Round 2 which launched on October 12, 2023 and is currently accepting applications.

Projects that have been Approved for a MW Block or Upstate Commercial & Industrial Solar Energy Equity Framework (C/I SEEF) Block 1 award are eligible to apply for the ICSA while in Approved status. Projects must complete a separate ICSA application in order to receive ICSA funding. Upstate C/I SEEF Block 2 projects are not eligible for the ICSA.

The dashboard below indicates the percentage of kilowatts (kW) that have been submitted for ICSA to date. The dashboard is updated as applications are submitted.

Upstate ICSA Projects

ConEd ICSA Projects

Project Eligibility

To be eligible for the ICSA, projects must meet the following:

  • Be metered as CDG
  • Meet the requirements of the NY-Sun Commercial/Industrial or NY-Sun Nonresidential Program
  • Have a MW Block award or SEEF Block 1 award in Approved Status
  • Dedicate no less than 40% of the project capacity (Wdc) to Eligible Subscribers, and dedicate no less than 50% of the ICSA portion of the project capacity (Wdc) to eligible residential subscribers.
    • Details on how to demonstrate the project capacity requirements can be found in the Program Manual.
    • Projects that have already started customer acquisition are not eligible for the ICSA. NYSERDA must assess if a planned acquisition strategy and customer intake process meets the ICSA program rules before those activities commence.
    • Projects that are subsequent applications of an approved primary application can apply for the ICSA even if they have already started acquisition. Those acquisition activities can only commence after the Primary Application has been approved.

Projects located in the PSEG-Long Island territory are not eligible for the ICSA. Projects that were awarded the ICSA in Round 1 are prohibited from withdrawing their application(s) and resubmitting for Round 2 funding levels. Projects that applied for but were not awarded the ICSA in Round 1 are eligible to apply for Round 2. Projects will be required to cancel their ICSA award if they are selected and choose to enroll in the Statewide Solar for All Program.

Eligible projects may receive the ICSA in addition to any NY-Sun incentive or adders for which they are eligible, with the exception of the Multifamily Affordable Housing Adder and Statewide Solar for All.

Incentive Levels

The ICSA funding that a project may claim is determined by the capacity allocated to eligible subscribers, with different incentive rates for different types of projects. The adder rates and initial capacity blocks detailed in the table below apply only to the capacity allocated to eligible subscribers.

Region Project Type Adder ($/Watt)
Upstate
  • CDG project
  • In Upstate C/I SEEF Block 1 (did not receive MW Block)
  • Did not receive Community Adder
  • Minimum guaranteed discount of 10%
  • ≥50% of ICSA capacity filled with Eligible Residential Subscribers
 There are two components to this tier:
  • $0.10/W will be applied to the capacity allocated to eligible subscribers.
  • $0.12/W will be applied to the project’s full capacity provided they meet all NY-Sun and ICSA requirements at completion.
  • CDG project
  • Received MW Block but did not receive Community Adder
  • Minimum guaranteed discount of 10%
  • ≥50% of ICSA capacity filled with Eligible Residential Subscribers
 There are two components to this tier:
  • $0.10 per Watt will be applied to the capacity allocated to eligible subscribers.
  • $0.07 per Watt will be applied to the project’s full capacity provided they meet all NY-Sun and ICSA requirements at completion.
  • CDG project
  • Received MW Block and Community Adder
  • Minimum guaranteed discount of 10%
  • ≥50% of ICSA capacity filled with Eligible Residential Subscribers
$0.10
  • CDG project
  • Received Phase One NEM, the Market Transition Credit, or the Community Credit
  • Minimum guaranteed discount of 10%
  • ≥50% of ICSA capacity filled with Eligible Residential Subscribers
 $0.05
Con Edison
  • CDG Project
  • Minimum guaranteed discount of 10%
  • ≥50% of ICSA capacity filled with Eligible Residential Subscribers
 $0.20

 

Community Benefit Projects

A higher incentive is available for Upstate and Con Edison projects that qualify as Community Benefit Projects. These projects provide a higher bill discount, incorporate measures that increase access to community solar, and demonstrate a greater commitment to Eligible Subscribers and their surrounding communities. Projects can either provide a 20% bill discount to all eligible subscribers and meet at least 3 of the following criteria; or provide a 15% bill discount and meet all 5 of the following criteria.

  1. Demonstrated close partnerships with community organizations and stakeholders from the disadvantaged community local to the project site throughout the project development process, including siting, construction, and customer outreach.
  2. Workforce training and hiring commitments of Priority Populations or members of the surrounding disadvantaged community.
  3. Community based or participant ownership models.
  4. Dedicated strategy to target individuals in disadvantaged communities with Limited English Proficiency.
  5. Sited within a disadvantaged community and serving eligible subscribers in the surrounding community.

Specific requirements on how to meet the community benefit project criteria is detailed in the Program Manual.

Incentive rates for projects that meet the requirements to be a Community Benefit Project vary by project type and are detailed in the table below. The adder rates apply only to the capacity allocated to eligible subscribers and the capacity will be drawn from the applicable block listed in the table above.

Region Project Type Adder ($/Watt)
Upstate
  • CDG project that meets one of the following:
    • Received MW Block and Community Adder
    • Received MW Block but did not receive Community Adder
    • Did not receive MW Block or Community Adder
  • ≥50% of ICSA capacity filled with Eligible Residential Subscribers
  • Minimum guaranteed discount of 20% for providing 3 criteria, or 15% for providing all 5.
  • Achieves all the requirements to qualify as a Community Benefit Project
  • For project types that have fixed and performance components, this incentive is only applies to the performance component. The fixed component remains the same.
 $0.20
  • CDG project that received Phase One NEM, the Market Transition Credit, or the Community Credit
  • ≥50% of ICSA capacity filled with Eligible Residential Subscribers
  • Minimum guaranteed discount of 20% for providing 3 criteria, or 15% for providing all 5.
  • Achieves all the requirements to qualify as a Community Benefit Project
$0.15
Con Edison
  • CDG Project
  • Minimum guaranteed discount of 20% for providing 3 criteria, or 15% for providing all 5.
  • ≥50% of ICSA capacity filled with Eligible Residential Subscribers
  • Achieves all the requirements to qualify as a Community Benefit Project
$0.30

Get Started

To participate in the Inclusive Community Solar Adder Program, a NY-Sun Participating Contractor must submit an application in the NYSERDA Portal Link opens in new window - close new window to return to this page..

For questions, please email [email protected].

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