Solar permitting — Nassau County, New York
265 indexed meetings (13 energy-related), 5 news items, 5 known opposition groups.
Long Island; densest NY county outside NYC; very limited utility-scale land; commercial/community solar; offsh. Permitting: Municipal SUP/Special Permit for <20 MW. ≥20 MW: ORES. Track record: no prior utility-scale solar on recor…
Key driver: Long Island; densest NY county outside NYC; very limited utility-scale land; commercial/community solar; offshore wind context
Permitting process
Local permitting pathway
Municipal SUP/Special Permit for <20 MW. ≥20 MW: ORES (Article 94-c) bypasses local zoning.
Setbacks & buffers
None codified at county level. ORES sets conditions for ≥20 MW; municipal zoning governs <20 MW.
Spacing requirements
None codified.
Size restrictions
None codified.
Penalties & bonding
No penalties or adjustments. Standard CUP/SUP process.
State-level permits & approvals
New York Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES), established April 2020 under Executive Law §94-c (Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act): exclusive jurisdiction for projects ≥25 MW. Projects 20–25 MW may opt-in to ORES process. Sub-20 MW: local zoning governs. ORES can preempt local laws if 'unreasonably burdensome' to project — Third Department Appellate Court upheld this preemption authority (2023). ORES must issue siting permit within 12 months of completeness determination (6 months for repurposed/brownfield sites); if not decided, permit is deemed granted. RAPID Act (2024): consolidated major renewable energy + major electric transmission into single ORES process; draft regulations Dec 18, 2024 (public comment closed Mar 2025); implementing new pre-application consultation requirements including mandatory Indigenous Nation consultations. As of Mar 2026, ORES has issued 15 final siting permits totaling 2.3 GW. NYISO interconnection required statewide. All 62 NY counties in NYISO territory.
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State policy & grid context
State RPS & clean energy policy
70% by 2030, 100% zero-emission by 2040 | CLCPA (2019) | NYS PSL §66-p
State incentive programs
NY-Sun Initiative (NYSERDA): residential and commercial/industrial solar incentives; MW Block program provides upfront incentives per W-DC (declining block). NY Community Distributed Generation (CDG): community solar, Brooklyn-Queens neighborhood program. NY CLCPA (Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act): 70% RES by 2030; 100% clean by 2040; largest clean energy commitment of any state. NYISO RECs and ZECs: wholesale market credits support development. NY Article 94-c (ORES): state permit for ≥20 MW; preempts local opposition. NY Green Bank: project financing support. Utility varies by county: Con Edison (NYC/Westchester); National Grid (Long Island/Upstate); NYSEG (Southern Tier/North Country); Central Hudson (Hudson Valley); RG&E (Rochester); O&R (Orange/Rockland).
Grid & interconnection
NYISO Zone K (Long Island — PSEG Long Island / LIPA)
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Battery storage (BESS) P1 State-Default Permitting
MULTIPLE ACTIVE MUNICIPAL BESS MORATORIUMS — 4+ towns in Nassau County have active BESS restrictions as of May 2026: Town of Hempstead (Moratorium Feb 25 2025 – Feb 25 2026); Town of North Hempstead (
Local BESS ordinances & bylaws
County-level battery-storage status, safety requirements, and projects — each linked to a primary source.
Community opposition P1 5 tracked
Organized opposition signals on record for this county — petitions, community groups, and oppositional coverage — each linked to its primary source.
- Petition · Halt the 275 Megawatt Lithium Battery Storage Facility in Glenwood Landing Storage
- North Hempstead boards battery ban bandwagon Storage
- Petition · Defend Solar Energy in New York Storage
- Town of Oyster Bay approves extension for battery energy storage systems for one year Storage
- Town of Oyster Bay sets public hearing to extend battery moratorium Storage
SitePath maintains the most complete community-opposition dataset available, refreshed continuously from primary sources.
Subscriber intel Subscribers
Researched for this county and available with a subscription:
- 🔒Project track record
- 🔒Developer intelligence
- 🔒Community & board sentiment
- 🔒Governing board
Energy-related meetings & dockets P1
Halo color = sentiment of the relevant agenda excerpt: green positive, yellow neutral, red negative.
- 2019-08-08 OtherSolar
The Planning Commission approved a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.
- Planning CommissionBESS
Nassau County Planning Commission approved a moratorium extension for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in Nassau County
- Planning CommissionBESS
Nassau County Planning Commission approved a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm
- Planning CommissionBESS
Nassau County extends one-year moratorium on Battery Energy Storage facilities
- Planning CommissionSolar
Nassau County Board of Trustees approved a proposal to amend zoning code to regulate solar energy collection systems
- Planning CommissionBESS
A one-year moratorium on approving parcels of land for Battery Energy Storage Systems Facilities
- OtherData Center
The Planning Commission approved a special-use permit application for a 150 MW solar farm.
- Planning CommissionBESS
Nassau County seeks extension of moratorium on Battery Energy Storage Systems
- Planning CommissionBESS
The Town of Oyster Bay has approved a plan to establish a Battery Energy Storage System within the town.
- Planning CommissionBESS
Nassau County Commission approved a local law to enact one-year moratorium on establishment of Battery Energy Storage Systems
- Planning CommissionBESS
A one-year moratorium on installing Battery Energy Storage Systems within the Town of Hempstead is proposed.
- Planning CommissionBESS
Nassau County Commission approved a local law to enact one-year moratorium on establishing Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) within City of Elmont.
- Planning CommissionBESS
The Local Law to enact a one-year moratorium on Battery Energy Storage Systems within the city is up for discussion.
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State PSC dockets P1
No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.
Sentiment rollup P2
No sentiment rollup yet (requires meeting transcripts to be processed).
Local news P3
- 2026-08-19 Julie Tighe Of Ny League Of Conservation Voters On Session New Excelsior Power Program
- 2026-08-18 Propel Ny Energy Transco Lobbying Xwa1Pitb
- 2026-08-12 Propel Ny Energy Clean Energy Sayville Zoning Nassau Red Light Fees Dui3233D
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