NYC Startup Turns 70 Buildings Into Solar Power Plants

When your roof is leaking and your building is 100 years old, solar panels seem like a luxury you can't afford. But one startup in New York City just figured out how to make fixing old roofs and going green happen at the same time, at zero cost to building owners.

Fieldston Power has cracked a code that seemed impossible. The company signs 25-year leases with landlords of rent-stabilized buildings, then pays for brand new roofs with 20-year warranties in exchange for installing solar panels that sell power back to the grid.

The model targets buildings built in the 1920s and 30s that desperately need repairs but can barely cover expenses because their rental income is capped by law. These aren't the shiny new apartment towers you picture when you think of solar energy. They're aging buildings in neighborhoods like the South Bronx, home to some of the city's lowest-income residents.

Here's where it gets better. The solar installations qualify building owners for city tax breaks up to $250,000 over four years. They also help landlords comply with Local Law 97, New York's ambitious rule requiring large buildings to slash their emissions or face hefty fines.

But the real magic happens for the tenants. The community solar projects help low-income renters save money on their electricity bills every month, putting cash back in the pockets of families who need it most.

Fieldston Power launched in 2024 and has already installed solar on more than 70 apartment buildings across New York City. Cofounder Adam Zucker says most of these landlords had considered solar before but found it too complicated and expensive to tackle alone.

Now the company is scaling up fast. It just announced a $200 million pipeline of new projects that will make it roughly 10 times larger than it is today.

The Ripple Effect

This isn't just about one startup finding success. Fieldston Power is proving that the oldest, most cash-strapped buildings in our cities can become part of the clean energy revolution. Every roof they transform becomes a mini power plant, feeding renewable energy into the grid while helping the families below save money.

The model shows how creative financing can solve multiple problems at once: crumbling infrastructure, climate goals, and economic inequality. When landlords don't have to choose between fixing their buildings and going green, everyone wins.

If this scales across New York and beyond, we could see thousands of aging apartment buildings transformed into a massive, distributed network of solar power, all while keeping rents stable and lowering bills for people who need relief most.