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NYSEIA praises New York for speeding up PV application process

The New York Solar Energy Industries Association (NYSEIA) has praised the U.S. state of New York for turning around the processing of applications in its photovoltaics (PV) grant program, thus allowing the industry to continue on its growth track.

The state has processed a record 227 applications, according to NYSEIA. Image: Wikipedia/Diliff.

Reversing a "dramatic slowdown" in processing state solar grant applications earlier this year, the association says the New York Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) processed a record number of applications in June, in half the regular turnaround time.

According to the association, NYSERDA has caught up with a backlog of older applications and processed a record 227 applications within three weeks, due to improvements in streamlining the application process and improved communication. In total, 550 applications have been processed in six weeks.

“After slamming on the brakes earlier this year with program changes and delays, the solar industry is revved up again and moving forward again, thanks to the great collaboration at every level between NYSERDA and our association,” said NYSEIA president Ron Kamen, senior vice president of EarthKind Solar.

The association says that the faster processing times means solar projects are moving ahead in New York. Hudson Valley Clean Energy of Rhinebeck added that NYSERDA has presented them with new projects to be done in the coming months and the company has hired several new employees.

“NYSERDA’s cycle time to processing new applications has really improved in the past month or two,” explained Jeff Irish, president of the firm. “We’ve seen some get approved in less than a month. Maintaining the high quality levels will be important as the industry moves forward. Our hope is that NYSERDA continues to be diligent about enforcing design quality and realistic customer expectations.”

The changes in processing new PV incentive applications are positive for both PV installers and their customers, according to Michael Stangl, vice president regional sales of Alteris Renewables in Menands.

“This is very critical to us during the peak summer installation season,” he said. “Faster, more consistent application processing brings more certainly to our industry, which allows us to hire additional workers with confidence.”

Gail Markels, NYSEIA executive director, concluded by saying the program improvements will help to continue to bring clean energy jobs and economic development to the state.