Renewable energy projects in mid-Hudson Valley get state funding
Cricket Valley Energy Center, a 1,100-megawatt natural-gas-fired power plant under construction in the town of Dover, sparks opposition from environmental groups and community activists. Video by Amy Wu/Poughkeepsie Journal Wochit
The state is awarding $1.4 billion for renewable energy projects, which will fund 26 large-scale projects across New York, most of them solar farms.
The projects, including four in the mid-Hudson Valley, are expected to bring energy to over 430,000 homes. They are also expected to attract more than $3 billion in investment and create 3,000 jobs.
"Rather than endangering the environmental and economic health of our coasts, New York is carefully and responsibly expanding renewable energy to support the state's comprehensive efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tackle climate change,” said Basil Seggos, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
There are four projects in the mid-Hudson Valley:
• Blue Stone Solar, Ulster County: Geronimo Energy, a utility-scale wind and solar energy developer based in Minnesota, will build a 19.99-megawatt solar facility in the town of Saugerties.
• Daybreak Solar, Ulster County: Geronimo Energy will build a 25-megawatt solar facility in the town of Shawangunk.
• Little Pond Solar, Orange County: Cypress Creek Renewables, a national company that works with communities to provide clean energy, will build a 19.99-megawatt solar facility in the town of Deerpark.
• Magruder Solar, Ulster County: Granada Solar will build a 19.99-megawatt solar facility in the town of Gardiner.
Ulster County, with its availability of farmland, is a potential hotspot for solar farms, with farmers increasingly approached by solar companies who seek to lease their land. This has sparked a growing debate among the agriculture industry, environmental groups and developers over land-use issues.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo included in his State of the State address a proposal for a $200 million investment to reach energy storage goals of 1,500 megawatts by 2025 to boost clean and renewable energy.
In June, Cuomo also announced the Clean Climate Careers Initiative, expected to create 40,000 new clean-energy jobs by 2020.
In 2016, he announced the state’s clean-energy standard that mandates 50 percent of renewables by 2030.
The discussion over renewable energy is expected to increase with the impending closure of Indian Point nuclear power plant in 2021.