en.Wedoany.com Reported - New York State has reached 8 gigawatts (GW) of cumulative installed distributed solar photovoltaic capacity, achieving this milestone ahead of its 2030 target of 10 GW.

Governor Kathy Hochul announced this milestone. The growth of distributed solar is driven by the state's leading community solar program in terms of national installations, as well as the NY-Sun initiative.

Currently, over 276,000 distributed solar projects are operational across the state, with an additional 2.7 GW under development.

This latest milestone comes less than a year and a half after Hochul announced in October 2024 that the state had reached its 6 GW distributed solar target one year early. Last year, the state set a record for new annual solar PV installations, adding 1.28 GW.

Last month, nearly 29% of New York's electricity demand was met by solar PV.

Continued policy support has driven solar PV growth. The 2027 state budget allocated $200 million to support the NY-Sun initiative and add 1 GW of rooftop and community solar installations. In April, the New York State Senate passed the Accelerated Solar for Affordable Power Act (ASAP Act), aiming to achieve 20 GW of distributed energy capacity by 2035.

New York State Assemblymember Didi Barrett stated that distributed solar is a win-win—lowering energy costs for New Yorkers, creating high-paying union jobs, and reducing emissions—and reaching 8 GW ahead of schedule demonstrates New York's ongoing commitment to expanding clean, affordable energy. She noted that this year's budget includes key provisions of the ASAP Act and $200 million for the NY-Sun initiative, which will reduce red tape and unlock more solar projects across the state.