Richard Kauffman. Photo from NYSERDA.ny.gov
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) presented Richard Kauffman, New York’s chairman of energy and finance and NYSERDA board chair, with the prestigious SEIA Solar Champion Award, an honor bestowed upon entities or individuals who have helped strengthen solar energy in America.
Previous award winners include solar-supportive members of Congress and solar-powered breweries in Asheville and Western North Carolina.
“As a result of Mr. Kauffman’s leadership, the solar industry in New York has grown tremendously across all market sectors, serving as a model for the rest of the nation to follow,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, SEIA’s president and CEO. “His commitment to solar energy, as translated into the innovative policies he has conceived, is creating substantial investment and jobs in the Empire State, which results in real prosperity for thousands of New York families. We proudly present Mr. Kauffman with this well-deserved award.”
Kauffman has long established himself as a supporter of renewable energy. His efforts to develop the NY SUN program, a $1 billion initiative to support 3 gigawatts of installed solar capacity by the year 2023, is expanding solar access across New York. He is also one of the architects of the Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) effort and helped lead the development of New York’s noteworthy 50% Clean Energy Standard.
Today, these policies have helped New York become the sixth largest state in the nation for its number of solar jobs, with solar now employing more than 8,100 New Yorkers, according to The Solar Foundation’s National Solar Jobs Census 2016.
SEIA presented Kauffman the award Monday morning at Solar Power Northeast.
News item from SEIA