New York S 10011: Directs the public service commission to create an agrivoltaics incentive program

Bill Text

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S10011 Summary:

BILL NOS10011 

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SAME ASNo Same As

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SPONSORHARCKHAM

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COSPNSR

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MLTSPNSR

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Directs the public service commission, in consultation with the New York State energy research and development authority, to create an agrivoltaics incentive program to support agrivoltaic projects designed to maximize agricultural and environmental co-benefits.

Go to top S10011 Actions:

BILL NOS10011 

&nbsp

04/22/2026REFERRED TO ENERGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Go to topS10011 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS10011 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topS10011 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 10011

 IN SENATE

 April 22, 2026
 ___________

 Introduced by Sen. HARCKHAM -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
 printed to be committed to the Committee on Energy and Telecommuni-
 cations

 AN ACT in relation to directing the public service commission to create
 an agrivoltaics incentive program

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. Legislative findings and statement of purpose. The legisla-
 2 ture hereby finds, determines and declares:
 3 1. Agrivoltaics combines the use of land for both agricultural
 4 production and solar photovoltaic energy generation. Agrivoltaic
 5 projects allow agricultural lands to remain in agricultural use, helping
 6 farmers diversify their income, often providing a financial lifeline to
 7 struggling farmers. Agrivoltaic projects serve as an alternative to
 8 permanent forms of development, such as housing or commercial uses, and
 9 also provides working land for the siting of solar projects that produce
 10 clean energy for the grid and/or the surrounding communities. Agrivol-
 11 taic solar projects are designed to provide appropriate spacing and
 12 height to allow for continued or renewed agricultural activity either
 13 around, between, or under the panels. A robust agrivoltaic project port-
 14 folio will allow New York to accomplish multiple public policy goals by
 15 ensuring our rural communities benefit from the renewable energy transi-
 16 tion.
 17 2. On April 14, 2022, the New York state public service commission
 18 ("the commission") adopted an Order Expanding NY-SUN Program in Commis-
 19 sion Case 19-E-0735 which, amongst other directives, required the New
 20 York state research and development authority ("NYSERDA") to evaluate
 21 the potential for an agrivoltaics incentive adder specifically to
 22 support projects designed to maximize agricultural and environmental
 23 co-benefits and submit a proposal to the commission for consideration.
 24 Administered by NYSERDA, the NY-SUN Program provides financial incen-
 25 tives and financing options for the installation of new grid-connected
 26 solar photovoltaic systems that offset the use of grid-supplied elec-
 27 tricity with the goal of making solar energy accessible to New Yorkers

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD11171-02-6

 S. 10011 2

 1 while lowering costs. To date, no agrivoltaics incentive adder proposal
 2 has been offered to the commission, and the lack of an incentive specif-
 3 ic to agrivoltaics is stifling development of these types of projects.
 4 3. Chapter 106 of the laws of 2019 enacted the New York state climate
 5 leadership and community protection act ("CLCPA"), which, amongst other
 6 directives, requires that 70% of statewide electric generation be
 7 produced by renewable energy resources by 2030 and that the statewide
 8 electrical system be zero-emission by 2040. The Climate Action Council
 9 Scoping Plan estimates that 18 - 19 GW of new solar capacity will be
 10 needed by 2030 in order to achieve CLCPA renewable energy mandates.
 11 Accordingly, state-level support for agrivoltaic projects will be crit-
 12 ical to ensure that sufficient solar capacity is installed as we
 13 approach the 70x30 CLCPA deadline, while also bolstering the state's
 14 robust agricultural economy.
 15 4. A public policy purpose would be served and the interests of the
 16 people of the state would be advanced by the creation of an agrivoltaics
 17 incentive t