Int. No. 887-A
By Council Members Gennaro, Brewer, Fidler, James, Koppell, Koslowitz, Lander, Mendez, Rose, Van Bramer, Williams, Levin, Jackson, Dromm, Chin, Lappin, Arroyo, Barron, Crowley, Eugene, Greenfield, Koo and Palma
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the creation of a renewable energy systems web portal.
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Section 24-802 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as added by local law number 22 for the year 2008, is amended by adding a new subdivision j to read as follows:
j. "Renewable energy system" means any system that uses or creates energy from renewable energy sources, including but not limited to the sun, wind, geothermal sources, and passive house technologies, that is viable for installation in any building or on real property within the city of New York.
§ 2. Section 24-804 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as added by local law number 22 for the year 2008, is amended to read as follows:
§ 24-804 Education and outreach. a. No later than July 1, 2009, the office shall develop and implement programs for public education and outreach regarding global warming and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by residents, businesses, public and private elementary and secondary schools, and other entities within the city of New York. Such program shall include, but not be limited to, awareness campaigns tailored to specific sectors of the public, through which the office shall develop and disseminate information regarding global warming, including its potential impacts on the city of New York, and best practices to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
b. The New York city renewable energy portal. 1. The office shall develop and administer an interactive website called the New York city renewable energy portal. A link to the renewable energy portal shall be prominently displayed on the website of the department of buildings and any other city agency website that pertains to sustainable growth or environmental policy.
2. The purpose of the renewable energy portal shall be to effectively inform the public about the feasibility and economic viability of installing renewable energy systems in the city of New York. Content on the website shall be written in plain language whenever possible and shall include, but not be limited to, information on solar photovoltaic panels, solar water heaters, geothermal heat pumps, and leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED) certification. Links featured on the website shall be verified on a quarterly basis.
3. The renewable energy portal shall have or link to, to the extent they are available, programs that allow the user to calculate the estimated costs and benefits of renewable energy systems, lists of financial incentives available at the federal, state, and local levels, and tools and guidelines to evaluate the feasibility of installing renewable energy technologies.
4. The renewable energy portal shall assist users in determining which city, state, and federal agencies, if any, must approve a prospective installation of renewable energy systems. The renewable energy portal shall link to the website of any city, state, or federal agency that must be contacted in connection with the installation of renewable energy systems, and may also link to any forms, if they are available online, that such agency may require of prospective installers of renewable energy systems.
5. The renewable energy portal shall list the qualifications required for any contractor to perform installations of renewable energy systems within the city of New York.
6. Nothing within this section shall be construed to limit the authority of the office to create additional resources within the renewable energy portal.
§3. This local law shall take effect on November 1, 2013, except that the office designated pursuant to chapter 8 of title 24 of the administrative code of the city of New York shall take such measures as are necessary for its implementation prior to such effective date.
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