In response to growing pressure to expand solar energy generation, a cooperative solar power cooperative called for a stronger rule of law in the marketplace.
According to The New York Times, the cooperative’s new rule of “non-cooperative governance” requires that cooperatives obtain the approval of a single authority before they can build solar plants.
The rule of non-cooperation also allows cooperatives to sell energy directly to consumers and to the state.
Cooperatives also get a chance to develop their own energy systems, but they must use energy produced by cooperatives that meet the cooperative standards.
Cooperative solar power, which requires large amounts of solar power generation to be shared, is currently distributed mostly through cooperatives and distributed generation plants.
But the cooperative solar industry is poised to expand as a result of the Clean Power Plan, which will impose an energy policy designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Cooperative agriculture is expected to grow by more than 40 percent by 2040, according to the National Cooperative Alliance.
The New York State Cooperative Extension Service estimates that the number of cooperatives in New York could grow from about 1,000 in 2015 to nearly 12,000 by 2030.
The New Deal, an initiative of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal program, included a provision that allowed for cooperatives, and the solar industry in general, to develop new technologies.
The new rule, proposed by the State Energy Cooperative Administration (SEA), would allow cooperatives “to pursue solar power and other energy technology applications,” the New York Daily News reported.
In an interview with NBC News, Michael Sivak, the executive director of the cooperative association, called the rule “important for a variety of reasons.”
The New Power Plan was designed to address carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants, and solar power was not considered a solution, Sivkapas said.
“The real solution is solar power,” he said.
“Solar power can replace all coal plants.”
Sivak added that solar power provides significant economic benefits, as it can reduce electricity demand and boost energy production.
In a statement, the Solar Energy Industries Association said that it “does not believe that the new rule will impact the availability of solar energy in New Yorkers homes and businesses,” adding that it is the cooperative owners responsibility to implement any new rules that come into effect.