New York City mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday his plans to install 24 solar panels at 24 public schools as part of the city's initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050. The city will be spending $23 million for the project.
Bloomberg reported that $5 million of the budget will be coming from Governor Andrew Cuomo's NY-Sun Initiative, while the rest will be coming from state funds. De Blasio said in a news briefing that the additional solar panels will triple the sun power used by the city, as some buildings are already using the technology.
"It's the right thing to do for our children and grandchildren," de Blasio said, noting that the panels will generate 6.25 megawatts of power. "With the help of our partners at the state government, we're one step closer today to handing off a planet that will be a safe place for future generations."
There are already nine schools that have solar panels installed, including John F. Kennedy high school in the Bronx. The school gets five percent of its electricity from solar power, according to the New York Daily News.
De Blasio's 10-year plan aims to develop 100 megawatts of solar power from public properties and 250 megawatts from private properties. It is estimated that one percent of the city's electricity comes from solar panels, and that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 35,000 metric tons per year. The mayor stated that he will soon push private schools to also invest in additional solar panels.
"It's a matter of survival. We have to get to this goal, and we're going to use every tool we have to achieve it," de Blasio added.
