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May 6, 2026
ASAP Act is Estimated to Save New Yorkers $1 Billion a Year on Utility Bills, Create 15,000 Jobs, and Has Already Passed the State Senate
ALBANY, NEW YORK - Today, State Senator Pete Harckham, Assemblymember Didi Barrett, New York Solar Energy Industry Association (NYSEIA), business leaders, and environmental advocates rallied in Albany in support of the Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power (ASAP) Act.
The bill, which has passed the State Senate and has bipartisan support in both legislative houses, would expand access to rooftop and community (“distributed”) solar energy by modernizing interconnection to lower costs, incentivizing solar development, and ensuring there is equitable distribution of the utility bill savings.
New York currently has nearly 8 gigawatts of rooftop and community solar up and running, and the State is on track to achieve its 10 gigawatt by 2030 goal 3 years ahead of schedule. The legislation would increase New York State’s distributed solar target to 20 gigawatts by 2035, ensuring continued growth in a proven and successful clean energy sector.
A January 2026 analysis by Synapse Energy Economics found that deploying 20 gigawatts of rooftop and community solar would save New Yorkers $1 billion per year in avoided energy costs, savings that flow to all ratepayers through lower wholesale electricity prices.
In addition to helping bring down skyrocketing utility prices, increasing investment in solar energy in line with the ASAP Act would reduce New York State’s exposure to global fossil‑fuel price swings.
The rally was part of a continued effort by New York Solar Energy Industries Association to pass and implement the ASAP Act. Recent previous efforts have included delivering multiple letters to the Governor showing support from over 100 environmental, labor, civic, and business organizations from every part of the state.
The ASAP Act is sponsored by Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Didi Barrett, along with a bipartisan group of 84 cosponsors in the Senate and Assembly.
Senator Pete Harckham said: “At a time when residents are facing sky-high utility bills, strengthening our commitment to solar energy is more urgent than ever. The ASAP Act creates a path to real relief for ratepayers, with projected annual savings of $1 billion, that is relief that New Yorkers need now. By accelerating solar deployment statewide, we can also improve grid reliability, deliver cleaner air for our communities, and drive economic growth through good-paying jobs and new industries across New York.”
Assemblymember Didi Barrett said: “The ASAP Act is a win-win-win for New Yorkers. The hostile federal administration has already blunted our offshore wind industry and phased out renewable incentives, contributing to soaring energy costs – on the meter and at the pump. It is time for New York State to double down on the success of distributed solar, which is the only climate goal we’ve met ahead of schedule and under budget. The ASAP Act will address the energy affordability crisis head on by streamlining the interconnection process to get projects online more quickly, creating new clean energy jobs, and saving New Yorker’s $1 billion a year. I stand with my colleagues and advocates from across the state in urging its inclusion in the Final 2026-27 New York State Budget!”
Noah Ginsburg, Executive Director of the New York Solar Energy Industries Association said: “Investing in clean energy and creating a more affordable New York go hand-in-hand. The ASAP Act builds on New York’s most successful clean energy sector by expanding rooftop and community solar deployment and cutting costs through no-regrets interconnection reforms, saving New Yorkers $1 billion on utility bills annually. On behalf of New York’s hundreds of local solar + storage businesses and our 18,688-strong workforce, New York Solar Energy Industries Association (NYSEIA) strongly urges the Assembly and Governor to follow the Senate’s lead and enact the ASAP Act in the FY2027 budget."
Kevin Schulte, CEO of GreenSpark Solar said: “It is high time for New York to double down on its most successful clean energy sector. Distributed solar and storage has proven in real time to be the cheapest, fastest to deploy and fully reliable energy source on New York's grid today. The ASAP Act is the necessary legislation to push our State forward in continuing to supply safe, reliable, affordable electricity to our citizens. As the CEO of GreenSpark Solar, who deploys our 150 employees and as many as 300 typically union workers around the State to build this infrastructure, we need this bill to continue supplying affordable electricity to New Yorkers. I challenge the Governor, the utilities, and the conventional energy industry to provide credible data showing they have a viable alternative.”
Kate Daniel, Northeast Regional Director for the Coalition for Community Solar Access said: “The ASAP Act is one of the clearest opportunities to lower costs and strengthen New York’s energy system at the same time. It builds on what’s already working—delivering savings, supporting local jobs, and expanding access to clean, reliable power. New Yorkers can't wait, so let's keep building, A.S.A.P.!”
Alisha Deen-Steindler, Legislative Advocate, New York League of Conservation Voters said: “Solar energy has been one of New York’s greatest clean energy success stories, but with federal support under threat, we must double down at the state level. We urge the Assembly to join the Senate in passing the ASAP Act so we can boost rooftop and community solar, as well as battery storage, and make it easier to connect this clean, reliable, and affordable energy technology to the grid.”
Marguerite Wells, the Executive Director of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York (ACE NY) said: "The successes we have seen with behind-the-meter solar have already brought demonstrable savings to New York's ratepayers. It only makes sense that we continue supporting and deploying these incredible assets to New York's power grid. Community and smaller-scale solar projects are also an important tool in demystifying and pushing back on the misinformation around solar in general. The success we see in community-scale solar will help build support for the utility-scale solar we also need."
Donato A. Bianco Jr., Vice President and New England Regional Manager of Laborers' International Union of North America (LiUNA) said: "Investing in distributed and community solar through the budget means greater grid reliability, the creation of family-supporting construction jobs and energy cost-savings for ratepayers. We urge the Governor and Legislature to provide robust funding for the Sustainable Future Fund and the NY-SUN program in order to effectively execute an "all-of-the-above" energy approach."
Stephan Edel, Executive Director of NY Renews said: "In New York, over 90% of installed solar capacity is rooftop and community solar. Passing the ASAP Act would not only help reduce emissions and improve New Yorkers’ health by hastening the transition off of fossil fuels, it would also help build the foundation for a clean energy economy powered by communities. Accelerating solar project deployment has never been more important for New York communities — particularly for Black, Brown, and low-income communities who would benefit from local, community-owned, clean solar energy.”
Elena Weissmann, Northeast Senior Regional Director of Vote Solar said: "New York's distributed solar program has already proven to be successful— powering 1.5 million homes while staying ahead of schedule and under budget. The ASAP Act builds on what's already working, cutting through the red tape that stands between communities and real energy savings. Lawmakers have a responsibility to act now, bringing these savings to every New Yorker, especially those who need relief the most."
Melissa Parrott, the Executive Director for Renewable Energy Long Island said: "Rooftop and community solar aren't just a climate strategy — they're a grid reliability and affordability strategy, and Long Island families deserve the full benefit of both. The ASAP Act cuts through the interconnection bottlenecks that slow deployment and drive up costs, while doubling down on the distributed solar progress New York has already proven it can deliver. With a powerful coalition behind this bill, the time for the Assembly to act is now."
Michael Lotito, Third Act Upstate New York, said: “As New York looks for policies that will most effectively reduce energy bills for New Yorkers, distributed solar paired with storage shows a clear path forward. Solar is the least expensive electricity source on earth, and it is New York’s most successful clean energy sector- reaching its CLCPA goals over a year ahead of schedule and under budget. Third Act Upstate New York & Third Act NYC strongly support the Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power (ASAP) Act as a key piece of legislation that targets energy insecurity, lowers energy bills and create jobs by enabling expanded deployment of residential/community solar with storage.”
Anshul Gupta, Policy & Research Director for New Yorkers for Clean Power, said: “The success of the distributed solar industry in meeting its past goals without exceeding cost forecasts suggests that distributed solar is one of the most effective approaches to clean energy deployment, especially when paired with battery storage. It avoids additional land use, avoids costly transmission and distribution upgrades, can be installed in urban and suburban load centers, and reduces costly and polluting peaker plant operations. The Governor and the Legislature must take a holistic view of cost-effectiveness and pass this common-sense energy affordability bill ASAP.”
Lisa Marshall, on behalf of the Renewable Heat Now campaign, said: “The best way to lower energy bills is by investing in local, clean power. That’s why we’re rallying in Albany today calling on the legislature to pass the ASAP Act to expand distributed solar, which will generate $1 billion in savings for New Yorkers and create thousands of good-paying jobs. Investing in distributed solar is also vital to ensuring that our homes and buildings can run with the most efficient technologies such as electric heat pumps, further reducing our dependence on polluting, fossil fuels.”
Eric Walker, Energy Justice Senior Policy Manager at WE ACT, said: "Black and Brown communities have long paid the highest price for the health impacts of fossil fuel pollution and the highest energy bills. Community solar is one of the most powerful tools we have to change that, but only if it's built to reach renters, low-income families, and disadvantaged communities. We need Albany to make sure the benefits reach every zip code and bring real energy savings and cleaner air to the communities that have waited long enough."
Jessica Azulay, Executive Director of Alliance for a Green Economy, said: "The solution to high energy bills is already here and it is already working. Over 90% of New York's installed solar is distributed, right here in our communities, on rooftops and local sites, and we have consistently hit our targets early. The ASAP Act doubles down on that track record and delivers $1 billion in savings every year to New Yorkers, whether they have solar panels or not. That is not a promise, it is a proven model. We are calling on the legislature to pass the full bill and keep that momentum going."