A landlord in Queens has installed solar panels on more than half the buildings it owns in the borough, part of an ambitious project that should eventually be the largest solar portfolio in the New York City borough.
Solar panels have been installed on 26 of the 45 buildings Zara Realty owns and manages in Queens. Once finished, the Zara portfolio should produce 2.7 million kWh annually. The common areas of the buildings will all use on-site solar generation.
“Climate change is one of the most urgent crises facing our world and New York City will be particularly vulnerable to its effects,” said Amir Sobhraj, co-Managing Partner at Zara Realty. “We have a collective responsibility to do what is within our power to reduce carbon emissions, and as landlords we have a unique role to play. This solar energy upgrade will mean cleaner air, a brighter future for the coming generations, and it will ultimately reduce costs.”
The $6.5 million installation project is being carried out by Premier Solar Solutions, a veteran-owned New York based solar installation company. The project supports 50 jobs.
“Zara Realty has shown tremendous vision and commitment to renewable energy and this project should serve as a model for other landlords in New York,” said Chris Hoffmann President/Founder of Premier Solar Solutions. “The city and the state have laid out a path to being carbon-free, and this is precisely the type of work it will take to get there. As a Queens native, it makes me so happy to see my home borough at the cutting edge of this effort to realize the goal of clean, renewable energy to ensure our future.”
The project aligns with the state’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV), which aims to reduce greenhouse gases by 40% and to generate 70% of the state’s electricity from renewable resources by 2030, in addition to the city’s OneNYC plan, which aims to reduce carbon emissions 80% by 2050. According to OneNYC, nearly 75% of greenhouse gas released into the atmosphere in New York City comes from buildings.
