The New York Power Authority, in partnership with the City of Buffalo, has completed a 40-kW rooftop solar system that is bringing clean, renewable power to the city’s community center campus. The solar array, which will help lower energy costs and reduce the municipality’s carbon footprint, helps to achieve Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s clean energy goal to double New York State’s solar capacity from 800 megawatts today to more than 1600 megawatts by the end of 2018. The project is also yet another recent deliverable under Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s BuildSmartNY program, a comprehensive statewide initiative to increase energy efficiency in public buildings, and it also helps meet the Governor’s aggressive greenhouse gas emission reduction targets of 40% below 1990 levels by 2030 and 80% below 1990 levels by 2050.
The solar photovoltaic system was funded and implemented by NYPA and marks the Power Authority’s first solar project with the City of Buffalo. It was installed on the roof of the Timothy J. Burvid Ice Rink in South Buffalo and will also provide power to the Tosh Collins Community Center and Cazenovia Pool. The $140,000 project, which will generate an estimated 40,000 kilowatt hours of clean, renewable energy each year, is expected to save the city roughly $5,000 on its annual energy bills by offsetting a portion of the complex’s electric load.
“The Power Authority is stepping up its energy efficiency efforts statewide and carrying out hundreds of millions of dollars in projects—and this is the first of its kind for the City of Buffalo,” said Gil C. Quiniones, New York Power Authority president and CEO. “Our goal is to stimulate smart energy practices by our customers, while actively encouraging other entities to employ renewable technologies that will both protect the environment and improve their bottom line.”
“Solar Power is coming to South Buffalo,” said Mayor Byron W. Brown. “Cazenovia Park is a family favorite for many of our residents citywide. I am pleased to see these improvements being made to help the environment that will lower energy costs about $5,000 annually for our city. I thank the New York Power Authority for its partnership with my administration to help us reach our goal of becoming one of the most eco-friendly cities in the country, thanks in part to Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s BuildSmart NY program and our shared interest in increasing energy efficiency in our public buildings.”
The solar array was also supported by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), which contributed $16,000 under Governor Cuomo’s NY-Sun initiative.
“I applaud the city of Buffalo for its leadership in incorporating solar power into its building operations,” said Alicia Barton, president and CEO, NYSERDA. “As local governments across the state choose cleaner, more affordable energy, all New Yorkers will benefit as we work together to advance Governor Cuomo’s nation-leading energy agenda.”
BuildSmartNY, launched by the Governor in 2012, saves taxpayer dollars and creates thousands of jobs while significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. To date, New Yorkers have saved tens of millions of dollars in utility costs under BuildSmartNY.
An increased investment in renewables is also a core component of Governor Cuomo’s Reforming the Energy Vision strategy to build an energy system that is cleaner, more resilient and affordable. Solar projects support New York State’s 2030 goal for half of its electricity to come from renewable energy sources and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent.
NYPA has completed additional solar projects in Buffalo, including a 750-kilowatt array that was installed in partnership with the State University of New York at the University at Buffalo’s north campus in 2012. One of the largest solar power projects on any campus in the nation, the array produces enough electricity to power a nearby student housing complex.
The Power Authority also implemented a 250-kilowatt rooftop array at the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority’s Military Road bus garage that was completed in 2012 and provides approximately 16 percent of the garage’s power needs.
News item from NYPA
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