Westchester County Shines in Clean Energy with Record Solar and Battery Storage

WHITE PLAINS, NY (September 23, 2025) — Westchester County is leading the charge in Con Edison’s clean energy initiatives, with customers setting new records in solar energy and battery storage during the first half of 2025, the company announced during Climate Week.

Westchester customers top the region in solar energy generating capacity, boasting more than 14,400 arrays capable of producing over 200 megawatts of electricity. In energy storage, Westchester County customers have installed 723 battery systems with a capacity to store 29 megawatts, trailing only Staten Island’s 32 megawatts. These batteries allow customers to charge when energy is less expensive and use stored power during high-demand periods, reducing costs.

“More New Yorkers are choosing to adopt solar power and a cleaner, more affordable energy future,” said Greg Elcock, vice president of Customer Clean Energy Programs at Con Edison. “This demonstrates what’s possible when we work with customers, communities, city, state and local governments to increase energy efficiency and reduce costs.”

Across Con Edison’s service area, community solar participation surged, with customers earning $43.7 million in renewable energy credits, a $9 million increase from the same period last year. About 55,000 solar customers reduced their electric bills to zero at least once.

The New York State Public Service Commission authorized Con Edison to invest $2.1 billion from 2026 to 2030 to support energy efficiency and building electrification. The company is also building infrastructure to electrify 2,000 school buses and 3,000 medium- and heavy-duty vehicles using a cost-effective “dig once” approach.

Affordability programs provided $125 million in bill discounts to 440,000 income-eligible customers through the Energy Affordability Program, with $10.4 million in energy efficiency and electrification incentives distributed to income-eligible customers. Con Edison is implementing an expanded affordability program approved in July.

In clean transportation, the PowerReady program allocated $31 million to install over 3,200 Level 2 EV charging plugs and 65 Direct Current Fast Charging plugs, with 45% of Level 2 plugs and a third of fast chargers in New York State-designated Disadvantaged Communities. Con Edison also supported Brooklyn’s first battery swap hub for safer e-bike battery charging.

Customers installed more than 3,100 heat pumps for heating and cooling and 119 for hot water, utilizing $34.4 million from the Clean Heat Program. Heat pumps, up to three times more efficient than traditional systems, help reduce emissions. Customers pairing heat pumps with the Select Pricing Plan may save on electric bills, with the first 500 air-source and ground-source heat pump customers receiving a 12-month price guarantee. Con Edison also piloted a wastewater heat pump installation in a Brooklyn affordable mixed-use development, capturing thermal energy for heating and cooling.

Queens customers follow Westchester with 27,800 solar arrays generating 195 megawatts. Overall, Con Edison customers have 80,694 installations capable of generating 728 megawatts. The company completed a transmission line between Gowanus and Greenwood to boost capacity and reliability for Brooklyn customers. For more details on energy efficiency programs, visit conEd.com.

This article was drafted with the aid of Grok, an AI tool by xAI, under the direction and editing of Robert Cox to ensure accuracy and adherence to journalistic standards.