BALDWINSVILLE — The village of Baldwinsville could be eligible for clean energy grants worth thousands of dollars. Amanda Mazzoni, principal planner at the Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board, presented the possibilities to the Baldwinsville Village Board of Trustees at its July 15 meeting.
Mazzoni said Baldwinsville has already received a $5,000 grant from NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Communities Program, and the village is on its way to more potential funding opportunities for clean energy initiatives.
NYSERDA offers points-based grants up to $70,000, awarding 200 points for certain actions. Once a municipality reaches 3,000 points, it is eligible for a grant. Mazzoni said Baldwinsville already has 1,200 points and CNYRPDB has identified 4,100 potential points for the village.
“There’s a lot of opportunity here. It’s kind of a ‘pick-and-choose’ which actions make sense for the village to consider, some of which I think you might be already discussing anyway or have been thinking about,” Mazzoni said.
Among the actions CNYRPDB has recommended for Baldwinsville are public outreach campaigns, adopting New York State’s Stretch Energy Code, installing an electric vehicle charging station, converting decorative streetlights to LED, and reducing emissions from municipal buildings.
The community campaigns action would require the village to educate the public about community solar, electric vehicles and improving energy efficiency. At least 10 residents would need to sign up for the programs for B’ville to earn its points.
Adopting the NYS Stretch Energy Code would require building projects to be more energy efficient. Mazzoni said meeting this code increases building costs by 1% to 2%. She also recommended Code Enforcement Officer Gregg Humphrey attend updated Stretch Energy Code training, which could earn the village points as well.
Baldwinsville also could look into installing Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations. Mazzoni said other state programs can pay for installation and upgrades. She explained that some EV charging station owners choose to allow free charging and others require payment, usually through a mobile app. Level 2 charging stations offer 20-25 miles per charging hour. Level 3 chargers are much faster, but “there might be some sticker shock,” Mazzoni said.
The village would make money on converting at least half of its decorative streetlights to LED, Mazzoni said. Baldwinsville has already replaced cobra-head streetlights with LEDs. National Grid owns 64 decorative streetlights in Baldwinsville and the village owns 50. If National Grid replaces their share, the village would meet NYSERDA’s grant requirements.
Lastly, Baldwinsville could implement clean energy upgrades to municipal buildings larger than 1,000 square feet. The village would have to demonstrate a 10% reduction in building emissions compared to January of 2020. This could be accomplished through solar or hydroelectric energy.
