LIPA readies solar power pilot plan

Ready for a solar-power plant on your rooftop?

That's the question LIPA will begin asking commercial customers in coming months as it puts the finishing touches on a pilot plan for 50 megawatts of new large-scale solar power.

In place of the current program that uses rebates to help fund the cost of systems upfront, the new program will use what is called a feed-in tariff to pay companies that host solar panels for the power they produce. Hosts could build systems larger than the needs of their businesses, with the intent of selling the excess back to LIPA at a premium to pay for the systems, and then some. Feed-in tariff programs are popular in Europe.

The proposal, scheduled to be announced next month, would double LIPA's commitment to large-scale solar installations, encompassing up to 50 megawatts -- enough to power up to 50,000 homes. LIPA is finishing up two utility-scale solar projects that will add 50 megawatts to the local grid.

The new LIPA program isn't expected to affect the authority's existing rebate program for small-scale solar installations, including those for homes and small businesses. But those programs will see a change next month, when LIPA begins paying rebates more attuned to a system's actual expected output, rather than its advertised capacity. The move provides incentives for systems that are optimally situated and producing the most power.

LIPA chief Michael Hervey last week confirmed the authority was working on the new 50-megawatt proposal in discussing Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's plan to increase the prominence of solar statewide. "We're clearly looking to tap some large-scale industrial roofs that are out there," he said.

LIPA spokeswoman Vanessa Baird-Streeter declined to discuss specifics of the plan, saying they were still being finalized.

LIPA has a separate proposal request for 2,500 megawatts of power, a process some have criticized for not including smaller-scale renewable energy projects.

Kevin MacLeod, a solar installer and Long Island Solar Energy Industry Association board member, said the 50-megawatt pilot program would give a much-needed boost to the local solar industry. "Anything for the industry is great," he said, even if it's focused on large-scale installations.

LIPA already has the largest utility-scale solar farm in the state, a 32-megwatt installation at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton. It is also nearly finished building an 18-megawatt project that is putting large solar panels in parking lots at Suffolk County office buildings. New panels are being installed in parking lots at Suffolk County Center in Riverhead this week.

But the new program will go further, and address complaints that the Brookhaven project led to the clearing of tens of thousands of trees by instead focusing on commercial roofs that can accommodate panels.

The new plan essentially makes those who sign up mini-power plants such as those owned by National Grid or Caithness, with guaranteed rates over a 20-year period to pay for the power.

"Long Island has plenty of roofs and parking spaces," noted Peter Gollon, chairman of the Sierra Club Long Island's energy committee. He called "a real plus" the fact that solar panels produce their peak capacity at the time it's needed most -- during the summer air-conditioning season.

Gordian Raacke, executive director of Renewable Energy Long Island, said feed-in tariffs have been successful in expanding solar in Europe. It's common there for banks to fund the cost of installing the systems once a company has worked out a deal with the utility to supply solar energy at a predetermined price. "It's a deal they can take to the bank," he said.