New city legislation requires that city-owned property, including public schools, generate at least 100 megawatts of electricity from solar panels by 2030 and 150 megawatts by 2035.

The bill is a boon for the environment, public health, affordable energy and union jobs, according to the UFT and other advocates for the law.

The UFT is part of the Climate Jobs NY coalition of labor unions that supported the legislation.

The law, which was passed by the City Council in September 2024 and enacted into law without the mayor’s signature, does not specify how many schools must install solar panels to meet that goal, but it prioritizes the installation of solar photovoltaic systems in city buildings in disadvantaged communities.

“This legislation will make our school buildings healthier for our students and our educators and help improve the air quality of our city,” said UFT Vice President Richard Mantell, who represents the union in Climate Jobs NY’s Carbon-Free and Healthy Schools campaign.

The campaign has advocated for using federal funding to install solar panels on schools. Currently, most public schools rely on boilers, which burn fossil fuels. The pandemic highlighted that many of the city’s school buildings have antiquated heating and air conditioning systems and outdated electrical grids.

The new law will bring solar panels to the roofs of about 700 public buildings across the city over the next decade, according to City Council Member Sandy Nurse, who sponsored the legislation, and Gary LaBarbera, the president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York and a director of Climate Jobs NY. “That’s not just progress — that’s a blueprint for how we can use climate action to uplift working people,” they wrote in an op-ed published on a local nonprofit news website.

Two-thirds of New York City’s carbon emissions come from buildings, contributing to a warmer, more polluted climate, they said.

The city says it will give priority to city buildings that are 10,000 gross square feet or larger and have roofs that are in a state of good repair and no more than 10 years old.

Members of the UFT Climate and Environmental Justice Committee contacted City Council members and other local officials to push for the legislation, said Maggie Joyce, a committee co-chair.

“The idea was this was a great thing to be doing for our environment,” she said. “It gets carbon out of the air and it saves money — the solar panels on some buildings can cover all that energy, if not more, on some days.”

In addition, the jobs to install and maintain the solar panels will be well-paying, unionized jobs that will benefit the entire city, she said.

In December, PS 19 East Village Community School, which has been designated as a “solar ready” school, hosted a news conference of public officials and union members celebrating the new law.

In addition to providing good jobs with benefits, PS 19 Chapter Leader Cindy Lerner said, “it will create a safer and healthier work environment for staff and students.”