Senate Bill S.6570, the Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power (ASAP) Act, introduced in March 2025 by Sen. Pete Harckham (D–Mount Kisco), would raise New York’s statewide distributed solar goal from the current 6 gigawatts by 2025 to 20 gigawatts by 2035—a more than threefold increase. A companion bill (A.8758) in the Assembly is sponsored by Assemblymember Didi Barrett (D–Hudson Valley).
The legislation doesn’t create new subsidy programs or spend taxpayer dollars. Instead, it directs the Public Service Commission to speed up and reduce the cost of the utility interconnection process—the often lengthy and expensive step that determines whether a new rooftop array or community solar project can actually connect to the grid. The goal is to cut delays, minimize expensive grid upgrades passed on to ratepayers, and make it easier and cheaper to add solar and battery storage across the state.
A January 2026 study commissioned by the Coalition for Community Solar Access and conducted by Synapse Energy Economics modeled the economic impact of scaling distributed solar and storage to levels consistent with the ASAP Act. It projected roughly $1 billion in annual statewide energy cost savings by 2035, with average residential bill reductions of about $87 per year upstate and $46 per year downstate—savings that would flow to all customers, solar or not, through lower overall system costs.
Harckham and Barrett argue the bill is a practical response to rising demand, volatile natural gas prices, and the loss of federal support. “We need to move faster on distributed solar and storage so families and businesses can generate their own power, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and see real savings on their bills,” Harckham said when the bill was introduced.
The measure has drawn support from the New York Solar Energy Industries Association (NYSEIA), the Coalition for Community Solar Access, and other clean energy groups. No major organized opposition has emerged publicly, though past interconnection reform debates have highlighted utility concerns about grid reliability and cost allocation.
As of late January 2026, the bill remains in the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee with no floor vote scheduled. Its fate will likely depend on budget negotiations and energy committee priorities in the coming session.
The full text is available on the New York State Senate website: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S6570.
Our Take
Honestly, this bill feels like common sense in a state where electricity bills keep climbing and the federal safety net is about to disappear.
Tripling the distributed solar target to 20 GW by 2035 is ambitious, but it’s not pie-in-the-sky when you look at the projected savings—$1 billion a year statewide, with money back in people’s pockets, even if they never put a panel on their roof. The focus on fixing interconnection bottlenecks is especially smart; that’s been one of the biggest roadblocks holding back rooftop and community solar for years.
If New York can pull this off without new spending programs, it could be a model for other high-cost states. We’re pro-solar because the math works: lower long-term bills, more local energy resilience, and fewer fossil-fuel price shocks. This isn’t about idealism—it’s about giving regular families a fighting chance against rising rates. If the legislature can move it forward, it’s hard to see a downside.
{ “@context”: “https://schema.org”, “@type”: “FAQPage”, “mainEntity”: [ { “@type”: “Question”, “name”: “What is the ASAP Act in New York?”, “acceptedAnswer”: { “@type”: “Answer”, “text”: “The ASAP Act (S6570) is a 2025 bill that would raise New York’s distributed solar target to 20 GW by 2035 and direct the PSC to reform interconnection processes to make solar and storage easier and cheaper to connect.” } }, { “@type”: “Question”, “name”: “How much could the ASAP Act save on electric bills?”, “acceptedAnswer”: { “@type”: “Answer”, “text”: “A 2026 study estimates $1 billion in annual statewide savings by 2035, with average residential reductions of $87/year upstate and $46/year downstate.” } } ] }