How Solar-Friendly Is Long Island?

LONG ISLAND, NY - How solar-friendly is Long Island? A new study compared the different municipalities on the island to see which ones are the most solar friendly. Earlier this year, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act which adopted the most ambitious and comprehensive climate and clean-energy legislation in the U.S. The bill established a goal of reaching 70 percent renewable energy by 2030 as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions 85 percent by 2050.

"Long Island is on the front lines for many adverse impacts caused by climate change. This includes warming and acidification of our estuaries, rising sea levels, and an increase in powerful storm events, such as Superstorm Sandy," the study by the Citizens Campaign For The Environment reads. "Long Island must lead the way in advancing renewable energies, including solar and wind power to replace fossil fuels."

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority found that Long Island has installed 563.3 megawatts (mw) of solar power including 394.6 mw in Suffolk County and 168.7 mw in Nassau County. This was the result of 30,108 solar projects completed in Suffolk and 19,767 in Nassau. The study by the Citizens Campaign For The Environment compared 20 Long Island municipalities using several factors. The ones that were most solar-friendly were ranked with "sunny skies," while those in the middle were ranked with "partly cloudy skies" and those that were considered the least solar-friendly fell under the "dense fog" category.

Here is the full list of municipalities ranked from most solar-friendly to least:

1. City of Long Beach
2. Town of East Hampton
3. Town of Southampton
4. Town of Smithtown
5. Town of Huntington
6. Town of Southold
7. Village of Southampton
8. Town of Hempstead
9. Town of Oyster Bay
10. Town of Riverhead
11. City of Glen Cove
12. Town of Islip
13. Village of Babylon
14. Town of North
15. Hempstead
16. Town of Babylon
17. Town of Brookhaven
18. Village of Valley Stream
19. Village of Garden City
20. Village of Floral Park

"Solar technology has advanced over the last decade, and the cost of modules has substantially decreased. However, the total installation cost has only incrementally been reduced. The reason for this remains mostly in the 'soft costs' of solar," Tara McDermott, spokesperson for the Long Island Solar Energy Industry Association, said. "Materials and equipment are more efficient and less expensive than ever, however the costs of marketing, permitting, interconnection, and labor remain high, especially in our region."

Click here to read the full report.