New York lawmakers have passed legislation that will provide greater transparency into the state's renewable energy projects.
PV Magazine reported on the state's passage of the Public Renewables Transparency Act, which piggybacks on previous legislation to develop clean-energy initiatives.
That previous legislation, known as the Build Public Renewables Act, authorized the New York Power Authority to develop and fully own renewable projects. The new bill, meanwhile, requires the NYPA to create a dashboard that shows the progress in implementing those projects and to publish three annual reports on its renewable-energy buildouts, among other stipulations.
"If authorities like NYPA are to be the people's corporations, public participation needs to be a serious priority," Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha, a sponsor of the bill, said during a hearing. "That's what the Public Renewables Transparency Act is about."
The NYPA, which is the United States' largest public power organization, generates more than 20% of New York's power, according to PV Magazine.
It has previously partnered on several green energy projects, such as overhead chargers for all-electric buses, and a solar carport and battery storage project at John F. Kennedy International Airport. It had not, however, created, owned, and operated these projects from start to finish.
That changed earlier this year with the agency's Renewables Strategic Plan, which aims to add more than 3 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity to the state, with most of that coming from solar.
Although it's a step forward for New York, critics believe the Strategic Plan didn't go far enough. Public Power NY, a grassroots organization that supports renewable energy, believes the NYPA should have planned for 15 gigawatts' worth of growth.
"NYPA leadership has refused to follow the statewide call for 15 GW or fully explain the logic behind their limited strategic plan," Public Power NY Co-Chair Michael Paulson said in a statement. "The Public Renewables Transparency Act will ensure that NYPA is open and accountable as it takes on a leadership role in our energy transition."
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