It looks like a growing number of city homeowners are flipping the switch to solar power and now Con Edison wants to get on board to help low-income residents save money. Our Cheryl Wills has more.
New York City is slowly becoming solar city, an estimated 10,000 homes have switched to solar power —but it's not cheap.
The installation of these panels on private homes can cost upwards of $20,000.
But Con Edison wants to plug into the solar revolution and target low income New Yorkers.
"We would build up to 11 megawatts of solar on a pilot basis to see if customers are interested we could serve up to 3,000 to 6,000 customers with solar power and it would allow them to save money on their electric bill," said Christopher Raup with ConEd.
It's not a done deal yet and the Con Edison proposal needs approval from a higher power — namely the New York State Public Service Commission.
But for those who are ready to flip the switch, Grid Alternatives is the nation's largest solar energy non-profit organization — and the Bronx-based company installs solar panels for little to no cost.
"As long as the roof has been well maintained, we put solar on a rack on the roof, we plug it into the system and it generates electricity and it off sets the grid power," said Peter Mandelstam, executive director of Grid Alternatives.
Grid Alternatives seeks low-income homeowners with annual incomes of less than $50,000 for installations.
Mandelstam says he is excited that Con Edison wants to get into the solar power movement.
"One of the great things about the Con Ed proposal is that they're going to give for free all of their roofs on their company buildings," Mandelstam said.
And that's a big plus because many New Yorkers don't have access to their rooftops.
"Historically it's hard to do solar in urban areas because there's very little space, it's more expensive" Mandelstam said.
But with increased demand for renewable energy, installation prices are going down and solar power is expected to be a win-win for customers and the environment.