An important part of eliminating the use of polluting fuels, such as oil and gas, is using more solar energy to power buildings.
Photo: Archive / La Opinion
–
Summer in New York is very hot. Whether it’s on the beaches, the movies, visiting a cooling center, or shopping at an ice cream truck, New Yorkers are creative in finding ways to beat the heat. However, it is getting harder and harder to get relief. Our built environment and the emissions from burning fossil fuels increase the average temperature of the planet each year, endangering our planet and health.
Those higher grades are already having devastating effects on our city’s infrastructure, affecting those most vulnerable. Flooded streets and subways, as we saw during Hurricane Ida last year, are becoming more common as storms intensify. The economic and health effects are even worse in neighborhoods of people with fewer resources and higher rates of medical conditions such as lung or heart conditions. The heat waves we experience every summer can be deadly because you don’t always have air conditioning, which can save lives.
We must be creative to keep our city thriving and our residents safe as the weather changes. For this reason, we launchedNYC’s Summer of Solar” through our NYC Accelerator program. NYC Accelerator offers free assistance to anyone making building decisions who wants to change the way they use energy. This program will help boards of directors, management companies, superintendents, owners and even residents adopt economically viable options to improve their energy performance.
Our biggest challenge (and opportunity) to reduce carbon emissions in the city lies in our more than a million buildings, since they produce close to 70% of toxic emissions from fossil fuels. An important part of eliminating the use of polluting fuels, such as oil and gas, is using more solar energy to power buildings. When building owners and operators incorporate solar panels, they improve the efficiency of their buildings and support green jobs and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. For a long time it was believed that solar energy was neither affordable nor accessible. The truth is, there has never been a better (or more important) time to go solar.
Earlier this summer, Mayor Eric Adams introduced his “Zero Carbon Zoning” proposal as part of his plan to make the five boroughs a more inclusive and equitable “Yes City.” This change will make it easier for us to meet carbon reduction and energy efficiency goals by providing more rooftop space for solar panels and removing barriers to storing clean energy and charging electric vehicles. This change will also help overcome the difficulties of electrifying buildings if heat pumps and efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems are incorporated.
Recent legislation also requires that all new buildings in the city, and those with significant roof renovations, have a green roof, solar panels, or both. From a financial point of view, there has never been a better time for solar energy. Visited https://accelerator.NYC/Solar for more information on municipal, state and federal tax credits.
From the benefits to the environment and the health of our neighbors, to the advantages of making the necessary prudent changes, acting now benefits everyone. We have less and less room for the change we need. The time to act is now.
Kizzy Charles-Guzmán is the Executive Director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice.
–
