Geneva Community Power announced that enrollment has exceeded the number of subscriptions needed to ensure the solar farm will be built, meet the enrollment target, and be awarded a $25,000 sustainability grant.

Geneva Community Power, a local solar program launched by the Town of Geneva and Joule Community Power, offered Geneva a $25,000 sustainability grant if program enrollment reached 400. On April 30, the Town of Geneva announced its intention to use the $25,000 grant to undertake a storm water control project that will benefit Seneca Lake.

Ontario County water resource technician Katie Cappiello said, “The Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) program is a competitive reimbursement grant program through New York State that funds projects to address water quality concerns like those we’re seeing in the Seneca Lake Watershed. The WQIP requires a minimum local match of 25%, meaning that the $25,000 grant award from Geneva Community Power can be used to apply for $75,000 from the State for a total project budget of $100,000.”

Mark Venuti, supervisor for the Town of Geneva and a champion of the program, said, “I’m proud of the community for coming together to ensure we could meet the application deadline for State matching funds and I’m excited about the prospect of being able to complete watershed projects valued at $100,000. But aside from the grant, the program is good for subscribers. By signing up for Geneva Community Power, subscribers can expect to save approximately 10% on electricity annually for up to 25 years and help combat climate change by supporting renewable energy generation. There’s no penalty to withdraw from the program at any time so, there’s also no real risk.”

Joule CEO Mike Gordon said, “The success of the Geneva Community Power launch demonstrates that a model that empowers communities works. The enrollment target is not an arbitrary number. It’s the number at which the economics of the solar farm make sense for a developer to build the farm and launch the program. As Joule knows that the solar farm can now go live, we can give back to the community in the form of sustainability grants. These grants make it possible for communities to fund sustainability projects of their choosing, projects that make sense for them. Geneva Community Power augments our path to 100% renewable energy, and it’s a step that will benefit a wider community — those Finger Lakes residents and businesses that depend upon and are located near Seneca Lake. Geneva is a trailblazer, and we expect many other towns to follow their lead.”

The Geneva Community Power renewable energy program is not just for Geneva residents. Enrollment is still open to NYSEG customers who want to lower their electricity bills and support renewable energy generation. Any NYSEG residential and small business customer is eligible to enroll in the program to take advantage of electricity bill savings.

Construction of the solar farm in Owego is already underway and the program is expected to launch this fall. Visit www.GenevaCommunityPower.com to learn more.

News item from Geneva Community Power