Electric car power charging station installed in village lot
By Hayleigh Gowans
Staff Writer
The village of Fayetteville has recently been named a “Clean Energy Community” by New York state, which allows the village board to apply for a $50,000 New York State Energy Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) grant to go towards clean energy projects.
“The village has been looking for a long time to projects that will help us become more energy efficient the help the village save money in the long run,” said Mayor Mark Olson.
The Clean Energy Communities program was started in 2016 to help move state municipalities toward more energy efficient technologies, such as solar power, LED lightings and alternative fuel vehicles. There are a total of 10 “high impact items” municipalities are encouraged to complete to become designated as a Clean Energy Community. Municipalities must complete four to be eligible for the $50,000 grant.
Fayetteville has completed: Adopting a benchmarking policy that reports the energy use of municipal buildings; adopting a unified solar permit; completing energy code enforcement training on best practices in energy code compliance; and installing two electric charging ports in a municipal parking lot.
In August, the village had two Charge Point electric vehicle charging stations installed at the municipal lot at 205 Brooklea Drive for use to residents.
The village board plans to submit plans to convert the current street lights to LED energy efficient lights to be covered by the $50,000 grant. The LED conversion project is expected to cost around $68,000, Olson said, and the change is expected to bring about 20 percent in energy savings.
To learn more about the Clean Energy Communities program by NYSERDA, go to nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Programs/Clean-Energy-Communities.
