Solar Programs

Overview

New York State Homes and Community Renewal is committed to aligning the development and preservation of affordable housing with the ambitious goal of 85% greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2050, as outlined in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). The development of Solar Programs by HCR emphasizes the role that Solar Photovoltaics (PV) will play in the transition from fossil fuels to electrifying the State’s affordable housing. On-site Solar PV development is supported by a number of incentive state and federal technical assistance and funding opportunities.

Solar Evaluation Tool

The HCR Solar Evaluation Tool (SET) program is a technical assistance program designed to help affordable housing project teams understand the solar incentive landscape and provide a tool to assess their development projects for solar viability early in design. The program includes both a financial analysis tool (SET) AND direct access to a solar technical assistant who will provide project level assistance, including:

Preliminary solar design
Preliminary solar financial analysis
Assistance with solar bidding and installer procurement
General solar questions

Solar Evaluation Tool

The HCR Solar Evaluation Tool (SET) was developed to help project teams assess solar viability at a project early in design. To complete the tool, development teams will fill in key project information requiring no solar expertise. HCR will use the information project teams submit to design a preliminary solar layout and generate outputs from the Solar Evaluation Tool for the applicant. Completion of the tool will provide project teams with key information to determine the financial viability of solar for a cost including upfront cost (or savings), payback period, rate of return, lifetime net savings, and cumulative cash flow of the solar project.

Click here for the SET Tool:

Solar Evaluation Tool

Solar for All Funding

The EPA's Solar for All ("SFA") program provides $7 billion in grants to enable over 900,000 households in low-income and disadvantaged communities nationwide to benefit from distributed solar energy.

HCR, in a joint application with NYSERDA and NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), is the recipient of one of the largest Solar for All awards by the EPA. HCR will receive $36 million to fund on-site solar projects through the end of 2029.

HCR SFA Program Description

HCR will provide SFA funding for on-site photovoltaic (PV) systems to a mix of single family and multifamily buildings through a variety of programs administered by HCR,

The program will also include direct access to a dedicated solar technical assistance provider who will provide project-level assistance to educate the market on solar opportunities and ensure public compliance.

While we are in the program design phase, no funding is currently available, but we encourage you to stay tuned for program details as we launch this exciting new funding opportunity.