Built for New York City?s small, flat roofs, panels can work on rooftops anywhere It?s no surprise that sunny states like California and Florida are considered growth markets for solar power. But a new company believes there?s another, often overlooked, growth market for this type of renewable residential power: New York City.
?This just seems like a ridiculous business opportunity,? says T.R. Ludwig, CEO of Brooklyn Solar Canopy Company. ?When you drive around and look at all the rooftops in this city that can add solar, and the recent developments in the industry, it feels like it?s a magical time.?
A recent spinoff of Brooklyn SolarWorks, a company that started in Gowanus three years ago, the Brooklyn Solar Canopy Company believes its modular, nine-foot-tall, raised solar panels can help make the economics of solar add up for more New Yorkers. Chris Neidl, the company?s director of business development, sees these canopies as a means to dramatically increase solar power production in denser, older cities like Boston and Chicago, and even add a boost to installations in Los Angeles, since they allow building owners to put up more panels.
There?s a roughly $5,000 to $10,000 premium to install the canopies versus typical flat panels, Neidl says. But add in local and federal solar power incentives and the additional generating power canopies provide, and he believes the difference is only a few thousand dollars per install.

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