New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday announced completion of a large solar installation in the Bronx borough of New York City capable of generating an upward of 1.8 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of clean energy annually.

It is the biggest of the kind with Governor Cuomo's NY-Sun initiative, which was put into effect last year with a mission to dramatically increase the amount of solar capacity in the state of New York.

"Advancements in the development of solar energy projects are crucial to our goal of building a clean energy economy in New York State," Cuomo said. "This project in the Bronx demonstrates that large solar installations are viable in New York City. The smart grid technology being employed at this site is exactly the kind of innovative solution that New York State needs to increase the resiliency of its grid."

The 1.56 megawatt rooftop solar project, which is installed at a Bronx-based restaurant depot facility owned by Jetro Cash and Carry, a wholesale cash and carry food service supplier, employs smart grid technology that overcomes technological barriers and enables large solar photovoltaic (PV) systems to connect safely with the Consolidated Edison (Con Edison) network, according to Ross Solar Group, the developer.

The increase in smart grid technologies is an action requirement in Governor Cuomo's Energy Highway Blueprint to help re-engineer New York State's power grid to accommodate a diverse supply of power generation sources.

The electricity produced by this solar project will be able to cover 45 percent of the building's electricity costs, enabling the company to save 220,000 US dollars annually, said Cuomo in a statement.