CAZENOVIA — Last week, Village of Cazenovia Trustee and Sustainability Coordinator Dave Porter provided an update on the status of a proposed 275-300 kW solar photovoltaic (PV) array at the village water treatment plant at 1 Water Ln.
The ground-mounted system would be capable of offsetting all electric usage at the plant with credits left over. Those credits would be distributed to other village electric accounts using remote net metering.
According to Porter, the project is expected to offset the total village electric usage by approximately 60 to 70 percent and save the municipality around $5,000 per year.
The village has been working in collaboration with the following entities to bring the project to fruition: Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board (CNYRPDB), New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), National Grid, Optony Inc., and Abundant Solar.
“CNY RPDB promoted the Solarize CNY project that numerous municipalities participated in,” said Porter. “NYSERDA offers financial incentives for solar projects, National Grid is our electric service provider, [and] Optony performed some of the initial feasibility analysis. Abundant Solar is the company who will own and operate the solar installation.”
CNY RPDB is a public agency that was established in 1966 by Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, and Oswego counties. Its energy management program is aimed at maximizing the region’s energy resources by increasing the efficiency of residential and commercial buildings, reducing energy demand, increasing the use of renewable energy, and accelerating the deployment of advanced energy technologies.
The agency provides a number of services to local governments to assist in solar PV installation, including programs that help municipalities to reduce solar installation and administrative costs.
Initiated by CNY RPDB, Solarize CNY is a regional collaborative procurement program that has aggregated and consolidated municipal procurement of solar PV systems for cities, towns and villages within Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, and Oswego counties.
Solarize CNY is led by the CNY RPDB with independent technical assistance provided by Optony, a global research and consulting firm. The initiative was created as part of the Central New York Energy Challenge program with funding from NYSERDA; the national Solar Roadmap Initiative supports the project with funding from the US Department of Energy.
According to the Solar Roadmap website, participating government agencies “work together within a common approach for deploying clean energy to drive new installed solar system capacity, increase local economic activity, and improve the regional environment.”
The program’s third party owner/developer is Abundant Solar, which was selected after a rigorous review of 12 RFP (request for proposal) respondents.
The Village of Cazenovia has entered into a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Abundant Solar for its proposed solar PV installation.
The Solar Energy Industries Association defines a PPA as a financial agreement in which a developer arranges for the design, permitting, financing and installation of a solar energy system on a customer’s property at little to no cost. The developer sells the power generated to the host customer at a fixed rate that is typically lower than the local utility’s retail rate. The lower electricity price serves to offset the customer’s purchase of electricity from the grid while the developer receives the income from the electricity sales and any tax credits/other incentives generated from the system. PPAs typically range from 10 to 25 years and the developer remains responsible for the operation and maintenance of the system for the duration of the agreement. At the end of the contract term, the customer may be able to extend the PPA, have the developer remove the system, or choose to buy the system from the developer.
According to Porter, the original 2018 PPA with Abundant Solar has been amended, due in part to the completion of the village’s LED streetlight conversion project.
On May 17, 2020, the village converted 279 of its streetlights to LED fixtures. According to the United Climate Action Network (U-CAN) website, this will result in the reduction of the annual street lighting electrical consumption from approximately 142,000 kWh to 55,000 kWh, resulting in savings of approximately $70,000 per year.
“Abundant Solar had already prepared the majority of the administration, including the necessary applications, for a 275 kW +/- system,” said Porter. “After implementing our LED street lighting project, the 275 kW system is somewhat oversized. So, we have been looking at ways to increase our electric usage by assuming the electric usage for the new water pump station on Route 20, and by possibly shifting future energy consumption that is currently fossil fuel-based to electric-based. This would include [switching to] electric vehicles for village use — Ford now offers an electric pickup truck — and possibly shifting some of our natural gas-based heating systems to electric-based heating systems, such as air-to-air and water-to-air heat pumps.”
Porter added that, because the project has yet to be finalized, the completion date is unknown. “It could possibly start this year, but it is more likely to start next year,” he said. Porter also provided the following timeline for the proposed solar PV project:
Jan. 2014 – NYSERDA/CNY RPDB Solar Feasibility Assessment Report presented to village. Report evaluated three potential sites for PV array (the water treatment plant, the village hall, and the department of public works garage).
Dec. 2014 – Village begins discussions of Solarize CNY project with CNY RPDB.
2016-2018 – Solarize CNY initiative in collaboration with CNY RPDB and Abundant Solar. Village participates in Solarize CNY Advisory Committee.
Feb. 2016 – Village receives preliminary feasibility report for a potential 205 kW PV installation at the water treatment plant that would offset total village electric usage by 68 percent.
Sept. 2016 – Solarize CNY project bidding. Abundant Solar is the successful low bidder.
March/April 2018 – Meetings with CNY RPDB and Abundant Solar to review proposed PPA and lease agreement for Solarize CNY project.
Nov. 2018 – Village reviews and approves Solar Operations and Maintenance (O&M) agreement with Abundant Solar.
Jan. 7, 2019 – National Grid approves application for proposed solar project at water treatment plant.
April 2020 – Final review of site conditions and contract documents with Abundant Solar for pending solar PV array.
June 17, 2021 — Abundant Solar issues an amendment to 2018 PPA.
June 29, 2021 — Village representative attends U-CAN “Beyond Rooftop Solar” online meeting to discuss large scale solar development projects. During the meeting, CNY RPDB Energy Program Manager Chris Carrick states that the proposed solar project at the water treatment plant is expected to save the village 5.9 percent of its annual electric costs.
According to Mayor Kurt Wheeler, the proposed solar project is part of the Village of Cazenovia’s overall strategy to promote sustainability and actions that individual citizens can take to do their part.
Additional steps the village has taken include installing electric vehicle charging stations at Lakeland Park, replacing HVAC units in village buildings with higher efficiency systems, completing a joint climate action plan with the town, and earning NYS Climate Smart Community and Clean Energy Community recognition.
An abbreviated timeline of the village’s sustainability actions is available at unitedclimateaction.org/municipality/villagecaz/.
An overview of similar steps taken by the Town of Cazenovia is available at unitedclimateaction.org/municipality/caztown/.
“Individuals can also take many actions to become part of the solution,” Wheeler said. “From the simple, such as adjusting thermostats to save energy in hot or cold weather, turning off lights, etc., to the more involved, such as improving insulation or upgrading heating or cooling systems.”
Community Solar
Local residents have an opportunity to save money on their electric bills and participate in making their community more sustainable through community solar.
Unlike traditional solar, where an array is installed on a resident’s roof or property, community solar is installed at an offsite location. A resident can subscribe to the community solar project and receive credits on their regular electric bill for the energy produced. Everyone who pays their own electric bill, including renters and co-op/condo owners, can participate in a community solar project and save money by accessing the energy produced by the solar farms.
“Community Solar is a state program that is helping New York meet its renewable energy goals by connecting individual homes to local solar farms to replace fossil fuels in our electricity mix,” said Common Energy Advocate Whitney Denison, a Cazenovia High School alumna who recently graduated from Cornell University with a degree in environmental engineering.
Common Energy is a company that has developed an energy platform that connects households to local clean energy projects through their utility.
“I signed up for a program through [Whitney,] which enrolled my home in a state program to use renewable energy,” said Wheeler. “ . . . There are a number of other similar programs, but the common denominator is supporting the use of renewable energy sources.”
According to Denison, Common Energy works with New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) and National Grid, is certified by the Better Business Bureau, and has connected more than 10,000 homes across the country in states with similar programs.
“We guarantee you will have access to as much electricity as you can use year round, and you are guaranteed to save money on your bill every year because you will get state credits on your electricity bill every month for using solar power,” she added.
To sign up or learn about how the program works, visit commonenergy.us/impact/wdenison.
To request an individual presentation, contact Denison at 315-651-2148 or [email protected].
