LIPA Announces Major New Plans for Additional Solar Energy (100 MW) for Long Island

[jpak]

http://www.longisland.com/news/07-12-13/lipa-announces-major-new-plans-for-additional-solar-energy-for-long-island.html

Uniondale, NY— July 12th, 2013 — Building off the success of its first Clean Solar Initiative feed-in tariff, the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) has begun the process to bring online an additional 100 megawatts (MW) of solar energy through its Clean Solar Initiative-II (CSI-II) program. The new program provides significant enhancements to LIPA’s existing program.

Consistent with its utility-scale, customer-sided, and first feed-in tariff solar programs, all 100 MW will be generated on Long Island, further advancing the development of solar energy and the growth of clean energy jobs. The project is enough to power roughly about 13,000 homes.

The 100 MW from CSI-II builds upon LIPA’s first program with a portion of the 100 MW targeting the South Fork on the East End in order to reduce load on constrained areas. To encourage solar investment in areas of the South Fork that will provide the greatest benefits to the LIPA electric system, a solar price premium of approximately 7 cents per kilowatt-hour will be available for projects built in the designated areas located east of LIPA’s Canal Substation in Southampton. Reducing the load constraint in this area will help defer, reduce or eliminate the need to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in building new generation, infrastructure, and transmission and distribution lines.

“This next generation of LIPA’s Clean Solar Initiative is envisioned to bring additional clean energy resources on Long Island, diversifying and cleaning Long Island’s energy supply and deferring investments in the power grid,” said LIPA chief operating officer John D. McMahon. “LIPA continues to fulfill our commitment to be a leader in the advancement of efficiency and renewable energy.”

<more>