The city of Saratoga Springs will soon
move forward with a project creating a
2-megawatt solar array to provide power
at the city landfill.
City Commissioner of Finance Michele
Madigan said the city’s contractor, SunEdison,
was successful in obtaining support
from the New York State Energy Research
and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
through the Governor’s NY-Sun Competitive
PV Program.
NY-Sun is a $1 billion initiative of Gov.
Andrew M. Cuomo to advance the scaleup
of solar and move the state closer to
having a sustainable, self-sufficient solar
industry. According to the governor’s office,
SunEdison and the city of Saratoga
Springs were selected among a competitive
field of applicants.
The grant will facilitate the construction
of solar panels sufficient to match
a substantial portion of the city’s energy
requirements, said Madigan. With a remote
net metering project, the electricity
produced by the city’s solar panels will be
directed to National Grid, which in turn
will credit the city for amounts generated,
officials said.
The solar initiative, entitled “Spa Solar
Park Development,” was presented to the
City Council by Sustainable Saratoga.
Madigan sponsored the project, citing
both environmental and financial
benefits.
“I would like to thank Sustainable
Saratoga for its vision and support. Its
guidance has been invaluable in making
this project a success and we look forward
to a continued partnership with this important
organization,” she said.
SunEdison is responsible for construction,
operation and maintenance, and
ownership of the solar panels. The landfill
is city owned property with otherwise
limited use.
“This is a win-win all around. It is an
environmentally sound project. Energy
cost stability is guaranteed and energy
cost savings are highly likely,” said Madigan.
Next steps include the negotiation
of a Power Purchase Agreement with
SunEdison, feasibility work, and ground
breaking.
“We are making another long-term
investment in our clean energy economy
with nearly $100 million in funding that
will dramatically increase our capacity to
generate and utilize solar energy across
the state,” Cuomo said in announcing the
grants. “New York is quickly becoming a
national leader in renewable energy by
building a competitive solar industry, and
today’s award recipients are an example
of how that progress continues to grow.”
The new capacity, which is planned for
142 project sites, was obtained through
the NYSERDA Competitive PV program,
which has been working to stimulate the
market for systems larger than 200 kilowatts
for four years. A total of $94 million
in renewable funding for these projects leverages
private investment of $375 million
in new PV power infrastructure projects.
According to Cuomo, a total of 50 project
sites are located at businesses; 41 at
schools and school districts; 36 at municipal
and other government facilities; and
15 at nonprofits, health care institutions
and colleges.
“NY-Sun is mobilizing private investment
in this clean renewable resource as
New York state continues to build clean
energy systems that are resilient, reliable
and affordable,” said John B. Rhodes,
NYSERDA president and CEO.
He said the responses to this solicitation
demonstrate that New York state has
become an increasingly attractive solar
market. A total of 49 developers submitted
proposals, a marked increase over
the previous two solicitations. The latest
bids included large solar developers that
have previously focused on other states,
regions and countries, and that submitted
bids to New York state for the first time.
“The NY-Sun awards announced by Gov.
Cuomo underscore the tremendous strides
that are being made to greatly increase
the amount of clean solar electricity
capacity in New York State,” said Gil C.
Quiniones, president and CEO of New
York Power Authority. “The competitive
photovoltaic program leading to these
awards also reflects a strategic approach
for lowering solar power costs and spurring
the private sector’s investments in
this clean renewable power source.”
The New York Power Authority continues
to work closely with NYSERDA to
bring about further integration of solar
power through initiatives to reduce solar
costs.