Map Of The Week: Solar Potential In Brooklyn

We’ve received a number of queries from readers regarding whether — and how — they can install solar panels on top of their homes.

As part of our research, we came across this really interesting interactive map produced by Sustainable CUNY.

The NYC Solar Map shows some — but not all — of the solar installations in our area. The map reports that as of October 28, New York City’s installed solar capacity was 35.7 Megawatts-DC, enough electricity to power more than 4,000 homes for 20 years.

More importantly, the NYC Solar Map map can help you to:

• estimate the solar energy potential for any building in the five boroughs by inputting the building’s address;
• estimate the costs, incentives, and payback period for investing in solar.

We plugged in the address for Corner Media (our publisher) on Coney island Avenue, and here’s what we found: by installing a solar array, we can reduce our electric bill by an estimated $1,700 annually; and reduce our annual carbon emissions by about 6,400 pounds per year.

When we clicked on “get site details,” we saw other helpful information, such as how much of our building’s roof area can be used for a solar installation, and whether or not we’re located in a solar empowerment zone. Location in such a zone is supposed to entitle us to additional help, via a Solar Ombudsman, with navigating incentive programs and paperwork, along with streamlined permitting.

When we continued to click through the solar calculator, we learned that after taking advantage of all the available incentives, installing solar panels would cost us an estimated $24,000, which we would make back in energy savings in 17 years.

(The estimated cost for every building is different of course. We plugged in the address of one of the smaller houses on Albemarle Road, and the solar calculator estimated a project cost of $8,700, with a payback period of 15 years.)

In a future post, we’ll look into how payment for solar installation is structured, and what assistance, if any, exists to help ease the impact of the up-front costs.

There’s also a helpful video you can watch to learn more about navigating the NYC Solar Map.

It’s worth repeating that the information you obtain from the map is an estimate to get you started. Once you have more of a sense of the solar potential of your roof, read through the Installing Solar section of the Sustainable CUNY website.

If you live in Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Red Hook, Gowanus or the Columbia Street District, you can take advantage of special assistance and discounts through the Solarize CB6 program.

Expanding the use of solar energy is an important component of the City’s overall sustainability plan. The City has committed to installing 100 megawatts (MW) of solar power on public buildings and spurring the installation of 250 MW on private buildings by 2025.