NY-Sun

How the Megawatt Block structure works

NY-Sun pays through a Megawatt Block structure administered by NYSERDA. Capacity is divided into blocks for a region and a sector, and each block carries its own incentive level in dollars per watt. When a block is fully allocated, it closes, and the next block, when NYSERDA announces one, offers a lower incentive. That step-down is the core mechanic: a project applying while a higher block is open locks that rate, while a later project takes the then-current rate, or waits if no block is open.

NYSERDA states that block status is updated as applications are submitted, and future blocks will be announced as current blocks become allocated. There is no single statewide rate: the installer must check the dashboard for the project region and sector on the application date.

Regions, sectors, and the dashboards

NYSERDA publishes three regional dashboards: Con Edison, Long Island, and Upstate. Each lists each block's status, open or closed, total megawatts allocated, assigned incentives, and the portion still available. The Upstate dashboard covers residential, nonresidential, and affordable solar, and NYSERDA notes there that Upstate Residential Block 14 is limited to installations in the NYSEG, RG&E, and National Grid territories. Con Edison separates sectors by size too, listing residential history from January 1, 2014 to May 29, 2025 alongside nonresidential categories up to 200 kW and from 200 kW to 1 MW.

Adders sit on top of a block rate. NYSERDA states on the Con Edison dashboard that parking canopy projects receive an additional $0.20 per watt, and rooftop canopy projects $0.20 per watt for the first 25 kW. For nonresidential projects of 1 MWac and greater subject to prevailing wage, the Con Edison adder is $0.20 per watt DC. Upstate, the Statewide Solar for All adder for Solar Energy Equity Framework Block 2 is a fixed $0.12 per watt.

Income-eligible and affordable solar incentives

Low to moderate income households are not limited to the standard block. Through the Affordable Solar Residential Incentive, NYSERDA states eligible projects receive a total of $0.80 per watt of nameplate capacity in Con Edison territory, and the same $0.80 per watt Upstate. Long Island lists a lower total: $0.40 per watt. NYSERDA directs applicants to the NY-Sun Program Manual for eligibility detail.

Those figures are totals, not additions to a block rate, so they must not be stacked on a residential block figure in a quote. They also explain why identical systems in different territories can legitimately receive different amounts.

The October 2026 $200 million framework

On October 14, 2026, NYSERDA announced the framework for deploying $200 million through the State Sustainable Future Program, administered through NY-Sun, with incentives paid when projects are completed. NYSERDA states it should support more than 565 MW of new solar, enough to power over 90,000 homes. Approximately $116 million goes to large commercial and community solar projects larger than one megawatt, supporting roughly 450 MW, approximately $31 million to midsize rooftop projects supporting roughly 75 MW, and approximately $20 million to residential solar for low and moderate income households, supporting roughly 40 MW, enough for 6,500 homes. A further approximately $33 million is flexible funding for the sectors where demand is strongest. These are program totals, not a per-home amount.