In July, the New York Public Service Commission increased the solar net metering limits for businesses and residences.

The limit for businesses was increased from 50 kilowatts to 200 kilowatts. This is significant for warehouses, factories, big box stores and other businesses with substantial roof space. The limit for residences was increased from 7 kilowatts to 25 kilowatts. Click here to see a summary of the New York net metering rules. Few homes have the roof space for more than 10 kilowatts; therefore, if a homeowner wants to use the full 25 kilowatts, a ground-mounted array would likely be needed.

The Public Service Commission hopes these changes result in 120 megawatts of solar capacity being added in New York in 2013. Click here for a short article in The Journal News highlighting the effects of the net metering changes.

In further support for renewables in New York, the Westchester County Board of Legislators unanimously approved a bill that would exempt the sale and installation of commercial solar systems from sales tax. The County Executive, Rob Astornio, is expected to sign the bill.  Westchester County already exempts residential solar system from sales tax. Click here for an article discussing the legislation.

New York State has also expanded its tax incentives for solar. The New York State incentives are discussed in the blog posting here and in our client alerts here and here.