New York’s ASAP Act Targets Rooftop, Carport and Highway Solar to Skip Large‑Scale Siting

New York’s ASAP Act seeks to accelerate solar installations on rooftops, carports, brownfields and highway corridors while sidestepping the state’s large‑scale siting process.

The bill aims to keep permitting local and avoid converting farmland to solar arrays.

The Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power (ASAP) Act would change interconnection rules to make solar and battery hookups faster and more predictable for developers. It was introduced as New York pushes to expand renewable energy to cut long‑term costs and fossil‑fuel use. The State Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) was created to fast‑track large‑scale projects, many of which sit on rural open land.

The ASAP Act explicitly allows solar on carports, rooftops, brownfields and landfills, shifting decisions to the local level rather than sending projects through ORES. Assemblymember Dana Levenberg is working with Senator Pete Harckham on legislation to place solar along major highways where the state already holds land rights. ORES was established to accelerate large‑scale renewable energy projects, most of which are located in rural areas with abundant open land.

Supporters say the approach lowers costs and expands access to solar without consuming farmland or forest. Critics warn that prioritizing speed could still overlook local concerns, especially if highway corridors become contested spaces. Kevin Schulte of Green Spark Solar notes the bill favors smaller, community‑scale projects over the utility‑scale farms that typically use ORES.

Watch for the bill’s movement through the Assembly and Senate, any amendments that address rural community input, and how state agencies respond to the highway‑solar proposal.