Requires the New York state energy research and development authority to establish a do-not-solicit solar development statewide registry prohibiting solar solicitors from contacting persons who are included on such registry; establishes requirements for solar solicitors who make solar marketing sales calls, electronic messaging, and on-premises sales appeals to customers in New York state; establishes penalties for violations.
This bill would direct the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to create and maintain a statewide do-not-solicit registry for solar development. Customers who place their phone number, email address, residence address, or land address on the registry would be protected from unsolicited solar development calls, electronic messages, and on-premises sales appeals after a 31-day waiting period. The bill defines key terms such as solar developer, solar solicitor, customer, electronic messaging, and on-premises sales appeals, and it applies to solicitation directed at New York residents both from inside and outside the state.
The measure also imposes conduct rules on solar solicitors. It limits solicitation hours to 8:00 a.m. through 7:00 p.m. unless the customer consents otherwise, requires certain disclosures at the start of a call, restricts misleading caller ID practices, bars prerecorded solicitation calls without a written express agreement, and requires solicitors to honor requests to be added to an entity-specific do-not-solicit list. It further prohibits sharing customer contact information without written or electronic consent, requires recordkeeping for 60 months, and directs NYSERDA to notify the public about the registry and adopt implementing rules.
The bill would add a new section to the Public Authorities Law and expand NYSERDA’s responsibilities to include administering a solar-specific do-not-solicit registry. It would create new compliance obligations for solar developers and solar solicitors, including notice, recordkeeping, consent, caller identification, and contact-sharing restrictions. Violations could result in substantial civil penalties, escalating fines for repeat offenses, and, after repeated violations, revocation of development permits in coordination with the Office for Renewable Energy Siting and placement on a public registry of repeat violators.
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes, the measure appears to be framed as a consumer-protection and privacy bill rather than an anti-solar bill. Its structure suggests support for regulating aggressive or unwanted solicitation while still allowing solar development to proceed under clearer rules. No formal voting history or transcript discussion is available here to indicate broader legislative support or opposition.
The main points of potential contention are the scope and burden of the restrictions on solar marketing, especially the statewide registry, the ban on unsolicited contact after registration, the limits on prerecorded calls, and the severe penalties for repeat violations. Solar developers and marketers may view the bill as imposing significant compliance costs and limiting outreach, while consumer advocates and residents concerned about privacy or nuisance solicitation would likely support the protections. The emergency-disaster restriction and permit-revocation remedy may also be seen as especially strict measures.