660 St Nicholas Ave
The Story
In October 2016, a board member of 660 St Nicholas Ave read an article about Solar One in the New York Times and reached out to see whether solar would work for his limited-equity cooperative. Through the Here Comes Solar program, Solar One provided the building with free comprehensive technical assistance including an onsite assessment, board consultation including estimates of costs and savings for different solar designs, and assistance soliciting bids from qualified local solar installation companies.
In December 2017, after the board had voted to go forward with a solar installation, Solar One issued a Request for Proposals for a raised canopy array, to facilitate the future construction of a roof deck for residents, and cover 100% of their common area electrical usage. The building received three bids from qualified contractors, and ultimately selected American Solar Partners as their installation contractor. American Solar Partners designed, engineered, and secured all the necessary approvals and permits for the system, and the installation was completed in August 2018.
Details
Solar One issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the HDFC in December 2017. The building received three proposals, and ultimately selected American Solar Partners as their installation contractor. American Solar Partners secured all of the necessary approvals and permits, and the installation was completed in the August of 2018 and commissioned in October. This project has several unique characteristics:
Among the first…
It is among the first affordable HDFC cooperatives in NYC to install solar.
Extra Incentive…
The project is utilizing a design of two elevated canopy systems attached to the parapet walls to maximize solar production and allow for the construction of a roof deck.
Creative Design…
It is also one of the first buildings to receive the Affordable Housing incentive from New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (nearly $14,000 in this case), first implemented in June 2018.
| Project Snapshot | |
| Client | 660 St. Nicholas Ave. HDFC |
| Building Type | Income-restricted Cooperative |
| Location | Harlem, NY |
| Financing | Direct purchase |
| Solar Installer | American Solar Partners |
| System Size | 34.7 kilowatts-DC |
| Modules | SILFAB 310 Watt-DC |
| Inverters | Solar Edge |
| Lifetime Solar Production | 981,435 kWh |
| Lifetime C02 Reduction | 1,197,351 tons |
Timeline
Economics
|
Project Cost |
$170,291 |
|
Incentives |
$136,398 |
|
Net Cost |
$33,893 |
|
Annual savings |
$9,800 |
|
Payback Period |
4 years |
|
Lifetime Savings |
$288,025 |
“Our solar journey has been long but filled with supportive people making it much less daunting and more rewarding. The trick was finding the right path. We found the best guides to help us navigate in Solar One!”
– Yoni W., Board of Directors
We want to hear from you! If you are interested in solar for your building then please fill out our brief survey and we will follow up in 1-2 business days.
