The New York Power Authority (NYPA) will soon provide a solar incentives program for customers served by the state’s municipal utilities and rural electricity cooperatives. Such customers commonly don’t qualify for renewable energy incentives. The popular solar rebates available through through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), for instance, are only available to customers of investor-owned utilities.

NYPA President and CEO Richard Kessel on Tuesday announced the program:

“In these difficult economic times, it is critical to do everything possible to alleviate the burden on New Yorkers coping with high electricity costs,” Kessel said. “Together with our partners in the municipal electric and rural cooperative systems, we will be encouraging the growth of renewable energy systems so that residents and businesses can lower their energy costs and reduce their carbon footprint. We commend both MEUA and NYAPP in taking a leadership role in promoting clean energy technologies.”

By allocating $2 million in solar grant funds, NYPA aims to pay for half the installed cost of a solar photovoltaic (PV) system. The program is available to residential, commercial and municipal facilities, and solar installations as large as 10 kilowatts will be eligible. Applications will be reviewed through the end of the year. As a result of their efforts, NYPA expects that between 50 and 80 solar PV systems will be installed statewide by municipal and rural co-op customers.

For more information, see the NYPA website. And click here to get started on your solar project.

NOTE: The NYSERDA rebate program is currently set to expire at the end of 2009. If you think solar power is good for New York, contact your NY state representative and tell them they should extend the NYSERDA solar rebate.