New York Power Authority and New York State Office of Parks Enter Partnership to Advance Solar Power in State Parks across Long Island and Hudson Valley
New York – (RealEstateRama) — Governor Cuomo today announced the launch of a new solar initiative between the New York Power Authority and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The agencies signed an agreement to assess and potentially develop solar array installations at state parks on Long Island and the Hudson Valley.
“New York State is leading the way in the wide-scale deployment of renewable energy,”Governor Cuomo said. “Harnessing the benefits of clean, affordable power across state parks is one more step toward reducing this state’s carbon footprint, improving the health of our public spaces, and protecting the environment for decades to come.”
Today’s announcement is part of a statewide effort to increase the use of renewable energy across state properties, a commitment the Governor made during his 2016 State of the State address. Under Governor Cuomo’s Reforming the Energy Vision strategy, installed solar across the state has grown nearly 600% over the past four years.
Richard Kauffman, Chairman of Energy and Finance for New York State said, “Through this new partnership between New York Power Authority and Parks, New York is showing how we can turn valuable state assets into clean energy assets in our efforts to combat climate change, protect our precious natural resources, and meet our ambitious energy goals — ensuring 50 percent of our electricity comes from renewable energy by 2030.”
This effort would build on the ongoing project to make Robert Moses State Park the first energy-neutral state park in the nation with a 500-kilowatt solar array. Additional solar projects are also planned for a second site at Robert Moses, Sunken Meadow, Heckscher and Belmont Lake State Parks, all located in Suffolk County, Anthony Wayne Recreation Area, Silver Mine Area and Lake Sebago Beach at Harriman State Park in Rockland and Orange counties, Fahnestock State Park and Taconic State Park in Dutchess County.
Gil Quiniones, New York Power Authority President and CEO said, “At the core of New York Power Authority’s values is increasing access to renewable energy to help safeguard the long-term sustainability of one of the State’s greatest assets – its parks and beaches. Together with our partners at State Parks, we will provide the road map for optimizing the impact of solar energy and technology to minimize carbon footprints.”
State Parks Commissioner Rose Harvey said, “We are committed to making State Parks a model of sustainability. We are grateful to New York Power Authority for their partnership in this effort.”
New York Power Authority will provide a full portfolio of advisory services in support of development, procurement and installation of commercial scale solar arrays. New York Power Authority’s expertise in project planning, site assessment, and energy use analysis will help meet the energy-use goals of State Parks.
State Parks is a participant in Governor Cuomo’s BuildSmart NY initiative, administered by New York Power Authority. It mandates that all state agencies reduce energy use in buildings they own or manage by 2020. BuildSmart NY also helps meet the goals of Reforming the Energy Vision, which includes meeting 50 percent of the state’s electricity needs with renewable resources by 2030.
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