By Ashley M. Casey
Associate Editor
Last week, Anheuser-Busch officially flipped the “on” switch for a 2.76-megawatt solar array on Kingdom Road in the town of Van Buren. The 8,300 panels will generate enough electricity to brew 3 million cases of beer each year.
The project, located about six miles from the brewery’s Lysander plant, was funded in part by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s NY-Sun program. NYSERDA provided about $1.1 million for the solar array, which is Anheuser-Busch’s largest off-site solar installation in the United States.
Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul was on hand for the May 15 inauguration of the solar site.
“This significant solar project by Anheuser-Busch and AES Distributed Energy will use renewable energy sources and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” she said. “The investment, as part of NY-Sun, continues our efforts to attract and spur cutting-edge projects that save consumers money and advances New York’s nation-leading clean energy goals. The solar facility helps to protect the environment, creating job opportunities and growing the economy of Central New York.”
The Van Buren array, operated by AES Distributed Energy, will produce more than 3 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually. As part of Anheuser-Busch’s 2025 U.S. Sustainability Goals, the company expects to fully transition to all-renewable energy by 2020.
“Our commitment to our communities and our environment go hand in hand. With this solar project, we are proud to continue investing in renewable energy in a community that our employees call home, bringing our sustainability goals to life right in our own backyard,” said Ingrid De Ryck, vice president of procurement and sustainability at Anheuser-Busch.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has pledged $1 billion total in NY-Sun funding. According to David Sandbank, NYSERDA’s director of distributed resources, solar investment has leapt 1,500% in New York state since 2011, creating jobs and cost-saving opportunities.
“It’s the equivalent of leveraging $3.5 billion in private capital investment,” Sandbank said. “Right now in New York state, we have 12,000 solar jobs and I expect that to grow especially with the Green New Deal.”
The Green New Deal is Cuomo’s renewed clean energy and jobs agenda. The governor’s goal is for the state to run on 70% renewable electricity by 2030 and be completely carbon-free by 2040.
Sandbank said public-private partnerships — such as the one among Anheuser-Busch, AES Distributed Energy and New York state — are key to making renewable energy accessible to all.
“It can’t just be a government initiative,” he said. “It helps bring down the cost of solar so companies like Anheuser-Busch can reduce their electricity costs … can help create jobs. When the private sector and the public sector work together it becomes a win/win effect.”
According to Sandbank, the NY-Sun program saw a 15% decline in costs from 2017 to 2018.
“The most important part here is that solar is not just for one person. Solar is not just for Anheuser-Busch. Solar and renewable energy is for everybody and the benefit of everybody … environmentally through economic development and cost savings,” Sandbank said. While this particular array is only for Anheuser-Busch’s use, solar energy becomes more affordable the more it is implemented. Sandbank said opportunities are on the horizon for subscription-based services so even renters can take advantage of renewable energy.
“I think that’s what you’re going to see a lot of in the Central New York area is these community-based solar projects,” he said.
Sandbank said solar energy has a bright future in Central New York. “I am very optimistic and bullish about the area and its participation,” he said. “Solar is proliferating throughout the state of New York. I think where Central New York differs is the projects can tend to be bigger … and serve more people. There’s going to be a lot of projects that come to Central New York that are going to bring benefits to a lot of households.”
