The New York Power Authority and Albany County are collaborating on a new energy project near Albany International Airport.
The solar array will be maintained by Siemens and is part of the county’s “green county” push.
County Executive Dan McCoy says the project will benefit residents. The Democrat spoke at a groundbreaking Friday.
“The county, let's just say, will purchase nearly 2.6 million kilowatt hours of clean, renewable energy generated by the solars each year. Just think of that, 2.1 million. And since this is on county property, we'll get a reimbursement for the power generated, which'll actually lead to a savings to the taxpayers,” McCoy said.
Additional support for the project is coming from the New York Power Authority. Joe Dragone, Capital Region BOCES’ Senior Executive Officer, says his organization is also implementing curriculum surrounding the new outfit.
“We've had a long-standing relationship with NYPA. They donate their electric vehicles to us, we have one of the only EV curriculums in New York state. Another example of how this project focuses on the workforce of tomorrow that we're working so hard to do. And our friends at Siemens, we've been doing partnerships with them with STEM for years and years and years,” Dragone said.
McCoy says it’s part of a wider effort in Albany County.
“Leading by example, saying yes, we will live by this standard before we have you live by the standard and show that you can do it and treat the environment better. And leave a mark, but more importantly, lead by example,” McCoy said.
Maribel Cruz-Brown, Vice President for Economic Development at the New York Power Authority, says the potential is significant.
“The completed system will help meet up to one-third of the county government's annual electric demand, energy costs will go down, grid resiliency will increase, greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced,” Cruz-Brown said.
Dragone says the program will be hands-on.
“We're going to have kids on-site, they're going to be doing installation, they're going to be doing maintenance, and then we're going to be able to do real-time monitoring,” Dragone said.
McCoy says this is the best use for the land.
“We own the property, the radar tower’s there, we can't really do a lot because of the radar tower being there. So, it's not like we can put buildings or apartments or something. So it was a no-brainer for solar panels. And you think it would, would have been that way, but there's a lot of hurdles; the FAA, they held us up for years,” McCoy said.
That was because of the location near the airport, over concerns that glare from the panels would interfere with air traffic control.
Colonie Town Supervisor Peter Crummey, a Republican, says the project is good for the environment.
“As we continue to move forward toward the next level of climate smart community, certainly this joint project, which is just an example and fit instrument of what Dan McCoy and I've been doing for the last 20 months together, not only here on solar, but also on roadway improvements along Albany-Shaker Road, just in a great example of how cooperation with government officials gets the job done,” Crummey said.
Other green projects underway in the county include a new highway garage in the town of Coeymans, which is expected to open in early 2024. Before construction can begin here, the site must be cleared of trees.
McCoy says the hope is to complete the solar farm by 2024.
