New York, NY – November 7, 2024 – UGE, a leader in commercial and community solar, announces that it has reached commercial operation on its 847kW rooftop community solar project in Queens, New York.
Each year, the new Queens project will offset over 1,000 metric tons (roughly 2.5 million pounds) of CO2 emissions, the equivalent produced by burning nearly 125,000 gallons of gasoline. At 847kW it will produce enough electricity to power more than 200 homes.
The project sits atop a new 250,000-square-foot warehouse and parking facility in College Point, Queens which is owned by New York City-based real estate developer Wildflower Ltd LLC. This is UGE’s sixth solar project completed with Wildflower, with a seventh under construction and an eighth in development.
New York’s progressive renewable energy policies at both the City and State level have helped UGE and Wildflower develop their expanding portfolio of commercial solar projects. In 2019 New York City passed pioneering legislation, Local Laws 92 and 94, that requires all new buildings and existing buildings undergoing certain renovations to implement solar or other green roofing. The partnership between UGE and Wildflower has allowed Wildflower to meet these requirements while simultaneously earning recurring lease revenue from UGE. The solar projects will also allow Wildflower to be complaint with Local Law 97, which sets greenhouse gas emissions caps on buildings over 25,000 square feet. Local Law 97 went into effect this year.
“Our long-term partnership with UGE supports Wildflower’s mission to create innovative, sustainable, and socially beneficial physical infrastructure in New York City,” said Adam Gordon, Managing Partner of Wildflower. “We are pleased to be bringing yet another community solar project to life with UGE.”
UGE will reserve 50% of the project’s energy output for Low- to Moderate-Income (LMI) subscribers, allowing these households and businesses to save upwards of 10% on their electricity costs. As electricity rates continue to rise across the country, these savings become increasingly meaningful for Americans looking for ways to save money in today’s inflationary environment.
With the addition of the College Point project, UGE’s operating portfolio now stands at 7.9 MW. UGE has an additional 17.2 MW of projects currently in deployment and construction, as well as a significant portfolio in development.
About UGE
UGE develops, owns, and operates community and commercial solar & battery storage projects. Our distributed energy solutions provide cheaper, cleaner energy to businesses and households throughout the United States. With the backing of NOVA Infrastructure and leaning on more than a decade of experience across 500 megawatts of projects, we’re working daily to make renewable energy accessible and affordable for all. Visit us at www.ugei.com. For more information, contact UGE at [email protected].
About Wildflower
Wildflower creates innovative, sustainable and socially beneficial physical infrastructure in New York City by fusing design, entrepreneurship, and community engagement. Wildflower currently owns over 3 million square feet of real estate in the New York metro area.
