NYPA to Develop Solar Arrays and Battery Storage at County-Owned Facilities
The New York Power Authority (NYPA) is partnering with Westchester County to develop and implement solar photovoltaic and energy storage systems at seven county-owned properties, including bus garages, the Westchester County Courthouse and Hilltop Hanover Farm. The new systems are expected to offset more than 2,800 tons of greenhouse gases each year, which is equivalent to removing more than 600 cars from the road.
These projects were highlighted at a Westchester County and NYPA-hosted Clean Energy Forum at NYPA’s White Plains, New York, headquarters where local municipalities and school districts learned about available energy services and clean energy alternatives. The innovative new solar projects and renewable energy and financing services for municipalities offered at the forum support Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s Green New Deal, a clean energy and jobs agenda that strives to achieve 100 percent clean electricity by 2040.
“Westchester County is leading the way when it comes to modeling sustainable actions and investing in clean, affordable power under Governor Cuomo’s clean energy policy,” says Gil C. Quiniones, NYPA’s president and CEO. “This major energy-saving partnership will reduce the county’s reliance on fossil fuels, generate significant cost savings and help protect our natural resources.”
The New York Power Authority (NYPA) is partnering with Westchester County to develop and implement solar photovoltaic and energy storage systems at seven county-owned properties, including bus garages, the Westchester County Courthouse and Hilltop Hanover Farm. The new systems are expected to offset more than 2,800 tons of greenhouse gases each year, which is equivalent to removing more than 600 cars from the road.
These projects were highlighted at a Westchester County and NYPA-hosted Clean Energy Forum at NYPA’s White Plains, New York, headquarters where local municipalities and school districts learned about available energy services and clean energy alternatives. The innovative new solar projects and renewable energy and financing services for municipalities offered at the forum support Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s Green New Deal, a clean energy and jobs agenda that strives to achieve 100 percent clean electricity by 2040.
“Westchester County is leading the way when it comes to modeling sustainable actions and investing in clean, affordable power under Governor Cuomo’s clean energy policy,” says Gil C. Quiniones, NYPA’s president and CEO. “This major energy-saving partnership will reduce the county’s reliance on fossil fuels, generate significant cost savings and help protect our natural resources.”
Westchester County Executive George Latimer says, “We are facing a climate crisis and tangible progress, not just talking about it, is needed. That is why in New York State under Governor Cuomo, and here in Westchester, we are taking these major steps to implement innovative green energy solutions. The solarizing of County run facilities will both drastically reduce our carbon footprint and create jobs in this expanding field. I look forward to working with New York State and NYPA to make these laudable goals turn into reality.”
NYPA issued a public solicitation seeking proposals for a total 8 MW of distributed solar capacity with the ability to incorporate energy storage at multiple county-owned facilities. For these projects, the county and NYPA conducted preliminary assessments to identify the most feasible and appropriate locations to install solar PV systems. The project sites include county-owned buildings, and involve rooftop, ground-mounted, and parking lot canopy solar installation technologies. In addition, NYPA and the county requested through the solicitation, energy storage systems at several project sites to support a multitude of applications including demand charge reduction and peak load shaving. The solicitation closed on May 21 and the responses received are under evaluation. NYPA and the county anticipate selecting a developer and awarding the project this summer with construction expected to start in 2020.
