Res 0622-2026

Res. No. 622 Resolution calling upon the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign S.5781/A.6270, legislation requiring covered municipalities in New York State to adopt a residential automated solar permitting platform By Council Members Gennaro and Brewer Whereas, Over the past decade, New Yorkers have experienced many of the effects of the climate crisis, including worsening storms, coastal and pluvial flooding, sea level rise, drought, heat waves, and wildfires; and Whereas, According to the International Panel on Climate Change, greenhouse gas emissions must substantially reduce by mid-century in order to limit the global average increase in temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius, and no more than 2 degrees Celsius, which is necessary to minimize the worst impacts of climate change; and Whereas, The IPCC’s sixth assessment report, published in 2022, calls for a moratorium on constructing new fossil fuel infrastructure, stating that “without immediate and deep emissions reductions across all sectors, limiting global warming to 1.5°C is beyond reach”; and Whereas, The majority of New York City’s electrical supply is generated via the combustion of fossil fuels, with approximately 85% of the electric supply produced via fossil-fuel combustion plants in 2021, compared to upstate, where only 12% was sourced from fossil-fuel combustion plants and 88% of the electricity was supplied via renewable generation; and Whereas, According to a 2020 spatial analysis of New York City’s solar photovoltaic generation potential published in the Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews, City rooftops could potentially house 10 gigawatts of solar generation at peak production, enough energy to supply approximately 25% of the City’s annual energy consumption, and 53% of its daytime consumption; and Whereas, Increasing distributed energy generation resources like rooftop solar installations can strengthen grid resiliency by reducing reliance on centralized generation facilities and improve local air quality by displacing demand for fossil fuel generated electricity, which can produce harmful airborne pollutants like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide; and Whereas, Because some energy is lost when transporting electricity over long distances, generating more power locally through the expansion of rooftop solar can increase grid efficiency by minimizing transmission related losses; and Whereas, By utilizing the existing built environment for solar generation, rooftop solar can reduce the need for farmland and natural ecosystems to be converted to large scale solar farm installations, while providing socio-economic benefits to City residents, including local job creation, improved energy security, and reductions in price and supply volatility in local energy markets; and Whereas, The permitting process is a necessary aspect of ensuring solar installations are conducted in a safe and code compliant manner, but complicated permitting and permit revision processes can lead to time delays and increased project costs, potentially reducing the uptake of solar installations; and Whereas, As demand for residential solar photovoltaic installations is projected to grow at a rate of 9 to 12 percent per year through 2030, the increasing number of permits requiring review and approval can present a significant workload challenge for municipal governments, further contributing to delays and cost overruns; and Whereas, According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a federally-funded research and development center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, approximately 70 to 80 percent of solar applications submitted for review in the United States are relatively standardized, presenting a significant opportunity for automating safety and code compliance checks; and Whereas, Adopting an automated permit reviewing process enables municipalities to issue instant permits to code complaint applications, frees permit reviewing staff to focus on more complex applications, and instantly reject non-compliant applications allowing submitters to make necessary corrections immediately, rather than waiting for permits to be reviewed, denied, and re-submitted for review; and Whereas, A National Renewable Energy Laboratory pilot study on the impact of automated solar permitting found that participating municipalities were able to reduce permit review time to less than one day and reduce the time between application submission, installation, and inspection by 12 days on average, with a comparable passage rate to traditionally permitted projects; and Whereas, S.5781, sponsored by State Senator Pete Harckham, and companion bill A.6270, sponsored by State Assembly Member Brian Cunningham, would require any governing authority in New York State responsible for a population exceeding 5,000 residents to adopt a residential automated solar permitting platform by June 30, 2026, unless the jurisdiction does not require permits for solar photovoltaic installations; and Whereas, A residential automated solar permitting platform is defined as a software system that automates plan review, generates code compliant approvals, accepts online payments where applicable, instantly issues permits and revisions for residential photovoltaic systems, and can be used for residential photovoltaic systems up to the New York State residential code 200 amp main service disconnect limit; and Whereas, The legislation would require authorities to provide an option for remote inspections via recorded videos or photos submitted electronically, at no additional cost, and with no greater delay than in person inspections; and Whereas, The legislation would require authorities to submit compliance reports to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority including a compliance date, software used to obtain compliance, and confirmation that the platform in use meets the requirements outlined in the definition of a solar permitting platform; and Whereas, Increasing local solar photovoltaic power generation has numerous socio-economic and environmental benefits for New York City residents, and the adoption of an automated solar permitting platform has the potential to increase the uptake of these systems by reducing operational barriers that may be preventing property owners from installing them; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign S5781/A6270, legislation requiring covered municipalities in New York State to adopt a residential automated solar permitting platform. NRC LS#19218, 19265 4/17/25