EXCLUSIVE | Mamdani administration powers forward with solar panel push in NYC schools

The project builds on the city’s ongoing NYC Solar Schools Program, which to date has helped generate 27.5 megawatts of renewable energy capacity atop the city’s educational institutions, but Mamdani said it’s not done yet.

“Expanding clean energy is about building a city where every New Yorker can actually live, breathe, and thrive,” Mamdani told amNewYork in a statement. “Across our neighborhoods, we’re pushing for creative, community-driven ways to cut emissions while bringing down the cost of energy. With 130 solar installations already completed and many more on the way, the NYC Solar Schools Program shows what’s possible when we commit, unapologetically, to a just and sustainable future for all of us.”

More solar panels coming to schools

At an April 23 ribbon-cutting ceremony on the roof of the high school, officials announced that 86 more public school solar panel projects are in the pipeline to be completed over the next few years, adding another 17.2 megawatts of solar power capacity to the city’s portfolio.

“As we power ahead with these efforts alongside climate education, we’re empowering our young learners to see themselves as responsible stewards of their generation while equipping our schools with the tools to lead the way,” Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels said. “Today, we’re not only reducing our environmental impact but driving lasting change.”

The huge undertaking to transform the city’s schools into hubs of clean energy stemmed from a partnership between NYC Public Schools and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), which is tasked with leading the city’s charge to reduce its carbon footprint. The New York Power Authority also collaborated on some 40 of the completed projects and promises more.

DCAS Commissioner Yume Kitasei, called the milestone a “major step forward” toward meeting the city’s ambitious climate goals.

“Expanding solar across our public schools is an impactful way to reduce emissions and a direct investment into our communities,” said Kitasei.

Once they’re up and running, the solar panels will help advance the city’s 2024 mandate to generate 100 megawatts of solar energy on city-owned property by 2030 and 150 megawatts by 2035. The public school system represents a massive portion, around 80% of the city’s solar energy, according to NYC Public Schools.

But not all aspects of New York’s sustainability goals are going as well. At the state level, Governor Hochul last month pushed to stall the 2019 Climate Law that mandated the state reduce its carbon emissions by 70% from 1990s levels.

Hochul argued that due to geopolitical realities and a White House that is “hostile” to green initiatives, the cost of achieving the law’s emission goals would be detrimental to everyday New Yorkers. 

Regardless of decisions coming out of Albany, the city and the state were not on track to meet their 2030 emissions-reduction targets anyway. Reports and analyses from the comptroller’s office, along with warnings of rising energy demand from the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), a grid-monitoring not-for-profit, indicated that the state’s environmentally conscious efforts have been set back in a big way.

But the city is still making progress, and the Solar Schools Program, the largest of its kind in the U.S. is aimed at informing and mobilizing young New Yorkers to think of sustainability, not as a goal, but as an imperative. The program emphasizes climate education and generates interest in green jobs and careers focused on climate justice. 

Deputy Mayor for Operations Julia Kerson said that the investment will have ripple effects beyond the classroom and the public school system.

“The ‘Solar in Schools’ program helps put every inch of our city to work in advancing our green future,” Kerson said. “This is a major milestone toward modernizing our energy sources and investing in our public schools, and we’re only just getting started. We are committed to improving the everyday lives of New Yorkers, from our city streets to the very air we breathe.”