‘We Are Transforming Yorktown’: Yorktown Enters Solar Power Pact That Will Save Thousands on Electricity
The Town of Yorktown will save an estimated $25,000 annually under an energy credit purchase agreement signed by Supervisor Matt Slater last week.
Slater signed the pact with Lodestar Energy, which has installed a solar panel array in Nichols, NY that is expected to go live on December 23. The solar panels are located on farmland and is projected to produce 2.7 million kilowatt hours of electricity in the first operating year.
“This agreement puts Yorktown at the vanguard of carbon neutrality in Westchester County and it shows our community’s commitment to the environment and concern for climate change,” Slater said. “This agreement isn’t an isolated gesture; we are transforming Yorktown. Just this week we saw Arcadia Farm activate its solar panel array, which will provide power to 40 local homes.”
The Lodestar agreement is another outcome of Yorktown’s growing partnership with Sustainable Westchester. Residents, houses of worship and qualifying businesses have been offered a unique opportunity to participate in community solar which provides similar benefits to individual homeowners.
Nina Orville, Director of Solar Programs at Sustainable Westchester, stated, “We’re so pleased to partner with the Town of Yorktown to bring the benefits of clean solar power to residents, and now to the town itself. Yorktown has clearly demonstrated its commitment to accelerating the transition to renewable energy through all its recent actions and we applaud the town for its leadership.
Some of Yorktown’s recent efforts to promote solar power include: The November approval of the installation of a solar panel array in the parking lot of the Granite Knolls Sports Complex; the September adoption of new laws regulating solar panel arrays and solar power storage devices; and the August agreement with Sustainable Westchester to educate residents about vetted solar power enrollment opportunities.
On Thursday, December 17, Sustainable Westchester and the Town of Yorktown will co-host an information session to educate residents about community solar opportunities. The free, virtual session will be held at noon on the Zoom platform. Presenters will explain how homeowners and businesses can receive utility savings without the cost of installing solar panels on roofs.
Seminar attendees must register at https://tinyurl.com/yorktowncsolar.
“The beauty of a community solar project is that anyone can participate, which helps combat climate change and receive the financial benefits, all without the worry about the cost of installing solar panels or damage to their roof,” Slater said.
Unlike traditional solar, where an array is installed on a roof or property, community solar is installed at an offsite location. Homeowners and business can subscribe to the community solar project and receive credits on their regular electric bills for the clean energy produced. Everyone, including renters and co-op/condo owners, can save money by accessing the clean energy produced by solar farms.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/