
Not everyone has a roof for solar. But everyone can subscribe to a community solar farm.
In 2018, the Village of Croton-on-Hudson purchased a former warehouse with 14,000 square feet of space to convert into a Public Works facility with offices, high bay garages, workshops, locker rooms, ample parking for staff and work vehicles and a materials yard. The Village had outgrown its old Public Works garage, which sat on the shore of the Hudson River. Just 3 feet above mean high tide, this garage was the frequent victim of flooding during storms such as Sandy, Lee, Irene, and Floyd. This new facility, high and dry, did need some roof repair work.
In 2019, the Village issued a request for proposals for a community solar project on the facility’s roof. Led by Ecogy Energy, our team won the bid. Our response included a roof repair (evident from the white sealant in this photo), an annual lease payment to the Village, a commitment to give priority to local residents as subscribers and a focus on attracting low to moderate income households, and a ten percent savings on the electric supply for subscriber below what they would pay with the local utility.
In 2020, we delayed construction under Governor Cuomo’s NY on PAUSE orders until early June. Within two weeks of opening up for subscription, this project was fully subscribed by 50 local households, one-third of whom self-identified as low to moderate income.
Project specs:
- System size: 302.175 kWdc (765 Hanwha 395 watt modules with P860 SolarEdge optimizers)
- Mounting: SnapNRack Ultra Rail with seam clamps for the standing seam metal roof.
- Year installed: 2020
- Electricity production: 344,000 kilowatt-hours per year
- Total Lease Payments to the Village: $726,461 over the 27-year term of the contract