The SUNNY Act (Solar up Now New Yorkers) will give many renters, homeowners and businesses the ability to generate electricity to offset part of their personal needs, lowering their cost with balcony or plug-in solar. This Act will allow users to install approved portable photovoltaic panels which plug directly into the home’s electrical system through a standard wall outlet. The panels could be hung on a balcony or deck railing, among other places. The Act eliminates 1) the complex paperwork required for rooftop solar, 2) the need to meter the amount of electricity going back into the grid, and
3) fees related to the device. No approval from the electric company or controls additional to those in the device are needed.
Customers installing small solar and battery systems, like plug-in solar systems, should be exempt
from onerous interconnection application rules.
More specifically, if a solar and battery system:
(a) cannot export more than 1200W to the grid
(b) is certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory like UL
(c) is intended to primarily offset a customer’s electricity consumption and save them money on their utility bills
then the system should not require utility approval before being installed and should not need to pay any interconnection or similar fees to the utility.
Rationale:
New Yorkers want to use home solar and batteries to save money on their electric bills. But many people don’t have the space or money to install a full rooftop solar set up. Plug-in systems are cheap, ranging from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand. They are easy to set up, portable, and can be connected to a standard outlet in single family homes, apartments, and small businesses.
One-size-fits-all interconnection rules create barriers to families and businesses saving money with small and simple home solar systems. Currently, even installing a single simple plug-and-play solar panel requires the same kind of complex, technical diagram-heavy and potentially costly grid interconnection request process that you’d need for a large solar installation. This complicated process can sometimes double the cost of installing these small and simple systems and wipe out the potential cost savings.
In Germany, allowing simple plug-in solar and battery systems to be installed without an interconnection agreement has led to over 3m of these systems being installed over the past few years. Similar levels of take-up in New York State would see almost 1m families and businesses using these systems to save money on their electricity bills.
If deployed today an 800W plug-in solar system paired with a portable battery would generate yearly savings of $279 for the average NYC family. As electricity rates continue their expected rise, annual household utility bill savings are expected to rise to $327 by 2035. Larger plug-in solar systems– i.e. 1600W systems that could be installed in back yards– could cover approximately 25% of a New York household’s monthly energy consumption and generate $435 in average yearly savings. Families in parts of the state with the highest electricity rates could see even higher savings.
Cost: Zero
Stakeholders: The SUNNY legislation was recently introduced, and is likely to generate support from groups representing lower and moderate income New Yorkers suffering from high utility bills, small businesses, local solar and battery manufacturers and environmental groups.
Timeline: The exemption could take effect immediately