The New York Independent System Operator on May 23 reported that New York set a new record for solar generation on Thursday, May 18.
During the noon hour that day, a combination of behind-the-meter solar and front-of-the-meter solar generated 3,330 megawatts. BTM accounted for 3,200 MW and FTM accounted for 130 MW. Together, BTM and FTM solar provided approximately 20 percent of New York’s electricity demand during this hour.
The actual peak load on the bulk power system for May 18 was 16,166 MW.
The NYISO estimates BTM production by sampling data from thousands of solar installations throughout the state. The NYISO’s solar forecasting system uses these samples to estimate the impacts of BTM solar at look-ahead periods from 15 minutes to seven days.
The solar forecasting system also uses meteorological measurements from the University at Albany’s Mesonet.
