NORWICH – New legislation signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo that makes solar energy more affordable for businesses and residents statewide has rejuvenated the Chenango Community Action for Renewable Energy (C-CARE), pushing the organization to advocate for alternative energy in the county.

The series of bills signed by the Governor in August work in conjunction with the NY-Sun initiative, an act the governor signed in April as part of an effort to double the amount of sited solar pannels installed annually and quadruple that amount by 2013. New solar power incentives include statewide tax credits for the lease and power purchase agreements of solar equipment, and tax exemptions for solar equipment used for commercial purposes.

According to C-CARE Chair Kenneth Fogarty, the new statewide incentives have led to increased response from residents across the county. Solar efforts are a step up for the renewable energy coalition, he added, and uphold its mission to promote renewable solar energy to residents, businesses and municipalities within the county.

“It’s a nice step forward,” Fogarty said. “All of these things take us further into the direction of where we would like to see things going ... We’re moving in a direction where we call for local sustainability. As grids go down, you need local production of electricity and we see solar power as a source of energy that is not getting scarcer and scarcer.”

“These are all incentives that make funding much easier for residents,” he went on to say. Fogarty himself took advantage of available state and federal tax credits to install solar pannels at his home last month.

New state legislation allows for statewide tax credits for homeowners who obtain solar equipment through a lease or power purchase agreement, so long as the agreement extends at least ten years. These tax credits would be available for 14 years, with a maximum amount of $5,000 for all years. According to a press release from the governor’s office, “This new business model has the potential to significantly increase the pace of solar energy installations in the state, as it often reduces or eliminates up front costs to the customer.”