fbpx
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Sign up for Free Newsletter
  • Print Edition
    • Get Home Delivery
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Customer Support
    • Submit A News Tip
    • Where’s My Paper?
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Free HV1 Trial
  • Holiday Gift Subscription
Hudson Valley One
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
Hudson Valley One
No Result
View All Result

Solar array

by Nick Henderson
April 24, 2017
in Uncategorized
0

solar SQThe Town Board inked a deal putting Woodstock one step closer to being greener and more environmentally friendly, but missing information has councilman Ken Panza concerned.

In a special meeting last week, the Town Board voted 4-1 to have Bronx-based OnForce build a 600-kilowatt solar array on the grounds of the wastewater treatment plant. The solar panels could provide nearly enough power to offset the energy requirements of most town-run facilities.

And will taxpayers be saddled with the cost of such a massive undertaking? No, the board says, thanks to a power purchase agreement, or PPA.

Supervisor Jeremy Wilber, Councilmen Bill McKenna and Jay Wenk and Councilwoman Cathy Magarelli voted in favor of the PPA. Councilman Ken Panza voted against it citing significant information gaps.

Through a PPA, OnForce owns the array and assumes the cost of building and maintaining the array in exchange for selling the power back to the town. While OnForce stands to make a profit, the town, through energy credits and other incentives, stands to pay less for energy over the 20-year agreement than through Central Hudson.

Ken Panza
Ken Panza

But Panza, who has done extensive research on PPAs, took issue with some holes in the agreement that, he feels, still need to be addressed. For one, the PPA calls for a “lease area” defining the limits of OnForce’s responsibility, but there’s no reference to the area’s boundaries, Panza said. Also, the contract states the town is not responsible for maintaining access to sunlight within the “lease area,” but a lack of defined boundaries makes it difficult to understand the town’s responsibility, he said. “We’re going to have to clear about seven acres of trees. Those trees are going to grow back after 20 years,” Panza said.

OnForce hasn’t proposed a site plan yet, putting a wrinkle in the town’s eligibility for an incentive program from the New York Energy Reseach and Development Authority, or NYSERDA. To encourage solar energy, the agency has offered an incentive of around 36 cents per watt for constructing the size of array to be built by OnForce. NYSERDA requires a site plan to consider applications for the incentive.

The company factored in that incentive as part of its commitment to 9.3 cents per kilowatt-hour, which is lower than Central Hudson’s rate of around 10.16 cents.

 

Approval still needed for planning, construction

Panza also took issue with the lack of input from the town attorney even after much of the contract legalese changed substantially after suggestions from a consultant. Yet another issue still to be resolved is how the array will be connected. One proposal is to have it connected to the meter for the wastewater treatment plant, the town’s largest energy consumer. This way, the town would only pay Central Hudson for power needed beyond what was generated by the array or on a cloudy or rainy day.

Another proposal is to have it connected to Central Hudson’s grid. In this scenario, all power generated by the array gets fed into the Central Hudson network. The town would get all power from Central Hudson and get a credit for the amount of power generated.

If the array is attached to the grid, the town can take advantage of renewable-energy credits, which work in the same way as carbon credits used to maintain a neutral carbon footprint. However, it’s not clear if the Central Hudson substation nearby can withstand the additional power supply provided by the array. According to Panza, it’s at peak capacity now.

Panza has questioned the financial stability of OnForce, a relatively small outfit compared to SolarCity, an industry giant with an established reputation in both commercial and home installations. However, the PPA allows the town to take ownership of the array should OnForce or the array’s current owner go belly-up.

Panza emphasized this is only one step in a major process to include approvals by NYSERDA for both planning and construction.

For its part, the town secured the assistance of Meister Consultants Group, a NYSERDA contractor for input and received several suggestions for additions and deletions. OnForce agreed to all changes.

The board, in its resolution approving the PPA, stated “both parties to the agreement are aware that the next steps to execute the project are for OnForce Solar to provide the town with a detailed site plan, including interconnect plan, defoliation description, and a survey of the lease area which will contain the solar array.”

Tags: NYSERDAOnForceSolar array
Join the family! Grab a free month of HV1 from the folks who have brought you substantive local news since 1972. We made it 50 years thanks to support from readers like you. Help us keep real journalism alive.
- Geddy Sveikauskas, Publisher
Previous Post

Local police K-9 units train with elite Dutch police

Next Post

Dancing and moonshine to help Woodstock School of Art

Nick Henderson

Nick Henderson was raised in Woodstock starting at the age of three and attended Onteora schools, then SUNY New Paltz after spending a year at SUNY Potsdam under the misguided belief he would become a music teacher. He became the news director at college radio station WFNP, where he caught the journalism bug and the rest is history. He spent four years as City Hall reporter for Foster’s Daily Democrat in Dover, NH, then moved back to Woodstock in 2003 and worked on the Daily Freeman copy desk until 2013. He has covered Woodstock for Ulster Publishing since early 2014.

Related Posts

It Won’t Be This Way Forever at Opus 40
Uncategorized

It Won’t Be This Way Forever at Opus 40

August 11, 2022
The New Paltz Paint Swap keeps old paint out of the landfill and saves money for DIYers
Uncategorized

The New Paltz Paint Swap keeps old paint out of the landfill and saves money for DIYers

July 6, 2022
Letters to the editor (2/23/22)
Uncategorized

Letters to the editor (2/23/22)

March 8, 2022
Halloween was a real treat and at its peak in New Paltz
Uncategorized

Halloween was a real treat and at its peak in New Paltz

November 3, 2021
How Saugerties streets got their names, part II
Uncategorized

Town of Saugerties sets 7 p.m. Halloween curfew

October 28, 2021
Donna Smith to replace Jewell Turner as Gardiner’s deputy town clerk
Uncategorized

Gardiner bridge closing for $393,575 replacement

October 22, 2021
Next Post

Dancing and moonshine to help Woodstock School of Art

Trending News

  • One-man crime spree comes to end after Kingston man runs out of luck 3.6k views
  • Saugerties to host inaugural Snow Moon Festival February 3 to 5 1.8k views
  • The Bruynswyck Inn Oyster & Clam Bar offers fresh seafood and Shawangunk views 1.5k views
  • 20-foot, 10-wheel big rig overturns in Saugerties, injuring driver 1.1k views
  • Three-story, mixed-use building proposed for Agway property in New Paltz 1k views
  • Visit Kingston’s 12,240-square-foot squat, centrally located with wood-burning fireplace 857 views

Weather

Kingston
◉
-8°
Clear
7:05 am5:14 pm EST
Feels like: -17°F
Wind: 4mph N
Humidity: 55%
Pressure: 30.56"Hg
UV index: 0
SunMonTue
48/30°F
46/25°F
45/36°F
Weather forecast Kingston, New York ▸

Subscribe

Independent. Local. Substantive. Subscribe now.

  • Subscribe & Support
  • Sign up for Free Newsletter
  • Print Edition
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Free HV1 Trial
  • Holiday Gift Subscription

© 2022 Ulster Publishing

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Contact Us
    • Customer Support
    • Advertise
    • Submit A News Tip
  • Print Edition
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
    • Where’s My Paper
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Log In
  • Free HV1 Trial

© 2022 Ulster Publishing