New York Defies Trump With Draft Energy Plan Targeting 35GW of Solar, 9.4GW of Energy Storage by 2040

By 2040, the US state of New York aims to plug in 35GW of solar PV and 9.4GW of battery energy storage systems (BESS). These numbers come from the draft version of New York’s latest State Energy Plan, a 15-year outlook through 2040 that includes recommendations for meeting future energy demands in the strongly democrat state.  

As per the draft plan, nearly 50% of New York’s current in-state electricity generation is sourced from zero-emission technologies. Of that, 27% comes from renewables such as solar PV, wind, and hydroelectric.

If everything stays on track, renewable energy projects currently in the pipeline could double New York’s clean power output. The draft plan targets up to 14.4 GW under an accelerated buildout scenario. However, even a more conservative pace would also see installations hit 11.9 GW. The forecast for energy storage remains unaltered in both cases, with a target of 6GW by 2030.  These are despite the not-so-good conditions for solar in the state. Something that has enabled Republican ruled Texas to steal the thunder from New York in the past two years. Wind, solar, and storage combined grew from 51 GW to 82 GW in ERCOT’s capacity between 2022 and 2024—a 60% increase.

For New York, the process is already well underway. Nearly half of the 2030 solar PV target has been achieved, as the state reached its 6GW distributed solar milestone a year ahead of schedule. New York is on track to reach 10GW of distributed solar by 2030.

The draft plan recommends further scaling distributed solar through the long-running NY-Sun initiative, first launched in 2012.

New York Has Long Been a Trailblazer in Renewable Energy

The state of New York continues to lead nationally in the deployment of community solar, with more than 2 GW deployed back in 2023. It has been at the forefront of the market across the US. 

Similarly, the NY-Sun initiative, launched in 2012, has been central to expanding distributed solar across the state. Unlike broad federal incentives, NY-Sun uses a region-specific, performance-based structure that lowers costs while targeting adoption. It is thanks to this initiative that the state reached 6 GW of distributed solar a year ahead of schedule. 

Complementing the NY-Sun initiative is Reforming the Energy Vision (REV), launched in 2014. The program intends to make the energy system more flexible and improve overall efficiency by encouraging the integration of renewable energy, like solar and wind, along with energy storage technologies.

New York's ban on new gas connections for buildings also kicks in from Jan 1, 2026. targeting buildings of seven stories or less, it will extend to larger buildings from 2029. The rules apply to space heating, water heating, and cooking appliances.