On January 28th, 2026, NYSEIA’s Policy Director, Jonathan Cohen, delivered testimony to members of the Energy and Environmental Conservation Committees regarding New York State’s FY 2027 budget. 

NYSEIA’s Testimony focuses on a dominant concern facing New Yorkers– persistent energy cost increases driven by the rising cost of traditional utility infrastructure upgrades, volatile fossil fuel prices, and constrained supply during peak periods in both the summer and winter. Distributed solar, especially when paired with energy storage, is a powerful tool for New York to advance energy affordability statewide. Solar is the lowest cost source of new electricity generation, shielding homes and businesses who have it installed from fuel price volatility. When paired with energy storage, systems can provide energy in high-cost evening hours and peak winter demand periods.  

The Testimony also highlights the report “Sunlight and Solar Into Savings” by Synapse Energy Economics, which makes a strong case for NYSEIA’s primary budget ask– the Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power (ASAP) Act [S.6570 | A.8758]. The study shows– among a list of other benefits– that reaching 20 gigawatts of solar by 2035 will save New Yorkers $1 billion in energy costs.

In the midst of a challenging budget landscape, where the state is facing reductions in federal funding and growing demands on state resources, NYSEIA advocates for the ASAP Act as a no-cost and high-impact action to secure affordable energy in the near-term. 

The testimony also outlines additional legislative priorities. The ASAP Act is the top energy affordability priority for the FY 2027 budget. The other reforms would act as necessary next steps to build on ASAP’s success:

• Community Solar Siting Reform: the Community SOLAR Act [Parker S.8119, Levenberg A.9087]

• Automated Residential Solar Permitting [Harckham S.5781, Cunningham A.6270]

• Energy Storage Sales Tax Exemption [Parker S.1527, Paulin A.313]

• NYC Solar & Storage Property Tax Abatement [Kavanagh S.4272, Carroll A.6969]