By Liam McGowan
This legislative session, NYLCV is calling for the passage of two bills that will help boost solar energy development across the state: the Automated Solar Permitting Act (A. 6270-B/S. 5781-A), sponsored by Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Brian Cunningham, and the Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power (ASAP) Act (A. 8758-A/S. 6570-A), sponsored by Assemblymember Didi Barrett and Senator Harckham.
Solar energy was one of the most important wins from the passage of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) in 2019, which set a goal of 6GW of distributed solar in New York State by 2025, and 10GW by 2030.
However, there is still significant untapped potential for distributed solar in New York and achieving this potential is crucial for reducing both air pollution and electric utility bills for working New Yorkers.
The federal government has been attacking clean energy throughout this past year, eliminating critical incentives that enhanced clean energy development and energy affordability, and enacting a rapid movement towards expensive and volatile energy sources.
New York must step up. Solar is the cheapest form of electricity in the world, and distributed-scale solar is especially important because it meets demand nearby where it is.
When New Yorkers install solar, they’re locking in lower energy bills, easing strain on the grid, and – when paired with batteries – improving reliability and protecting their families from potentially dangerous power outages.
The ASAP Act would expand access to affordable solar hookups by making use of existing grid infrastructure and providing upfront incentives to solar consumers through the continuation of the NY-Sun Program. The act also sets a new goal: 20GW of distributed solar by 2035.
In addition to expenses saved by using cheaper, reliable clean energy, the ASAP Act will save New Yorkers $1 billion in wholesale electricity costs every year.
[Tell your state representatives to support the ASAP ACT!]
When it comes to solar energy, affordability is not the only issue – the solar permitting process in New York is broken. Navigating the puzzle of solar permitting can be difficult and time consuming, leading to delayed, oftentimes incomplete projects along with added costs for New York residents.
Automated solar permitting – as it has done elsewhere – would speed up the complex permitting process so solar projects can be completed efficiently, saving both time and money for New York residents.
In their City Limits op-ed, NYLCV’s Director of Policy, Patrick McClellan and CEO of Symbium Leila Banijamali expand on the benefits of automated permitting: “The future of construction and renovation lies in automated compliance and fast, if not instant, project approvals,” they wrote. “New technology can perform this task on virtually any clean energy upgrade and residential retrofit with 100 percent accuracy.”
[Tell your state representatives to support Automatic Solar Permitting!]
This new automation technology is currently being used in cities across California and Colorado, where residents wait seconds instead of weeks for a response to permit errors or rejection letters. A government is only as efficient as the system in place – and when it comes to solar, automated permitting is the logical solution.
This legislative session, we are urging the legislature to pass both the ASAP Act and Automated Permitting Act to promote the development of solar energy and solidify its place as a key clean energy resource for New York.
Make your voice heard! Write to your legislators about passing the Automated Solar Permitting Act here, and about the ASAP Act here.
Want to learn more about Automated Solar Permitting? Register to attend our Automated Permitting Forum on Tuesday, April 21, at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center.
Liam McGowan has been a communications fellow at the New York League of Conservation Voters since November 2025, and intern since September 2025. He is a recent graduate of the University of Vermont with a B.S. in Environmental Science (Biology concentration). During his time at UVM he assisted with projects in the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory. To learn more about Liam, visit his LinkedIn page located here.