New York Approves Siting Permits for 309 MW of New Solar

Read about the siting permits that the New York State Office of Renewable Energy awarded to Cortland and Jefferson counties.
By
Rodney Nestor
Rodney Nestor
Research Writer
Rodney holds a Master’s degree in Arts and apart from working as a freelance writer, is a rather successful author of science fiction stories published in several literary read more
Last updated: August 29, 2023
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In 2022 California had the greatest installed solar power capacity of any state in the U.S. It also has the highest EV market share in the country. As such, it seems to be leading the charge in electrification and the switch to renewable energy. Other states also seem to be following in its footsteps with New York, for instance, recently approving sitting permits for 309 MW of New Solar. The state also intends to reach 70% use of renewable energy by 2030.

Where the 309 MW of New Solar Will Come From

The quoted 309 MW of power is set to come from three solar projects. One is a 90 MW project at the Homer Solar Energy Center, Cortland county. The others are the 119 MW Tracy Solar project and the 100 MW Riverside Solar Project, both in Jefferson county.

With regard to the Homer Solar Energy Center, it’s expected to be operational in 2027 and will be located in Homer, Cortlandville, and Solon towns on approximately 600 acres of land. It should also generate clean energy for up to 20,000 households. The project will be attached to the New York Grid through the Cortland to Fenner 115 kilovolt transmission line.

Similar to the Homer Solar Energy Center, the Tracy Solar Project will take up about 600 acres of leased land and is expected to be operational by 2027. However, it’ll be located in the towns of Clayton and Orleans in Jefferson County. Given it’s a 119 MW project, it should provide power to 27,000 households.

Also, it’ll be joined to the New York Power Grid at the Thousand Island to Lyme 115 kV transmission line.

As for the Riverside project, it’ll span approximately 1,000 acres of land and produce enough power for 24,000 homes. Consequently, it should also reduce CO2 emissions by an estimated 133,000 metric tonnes.

In total, these three projects will add 542,000 megawatts of new renewable energy each year. This should be enough for 69,000 homes or more. Notably, the first two, i.e., the Home Solar Energy Center and Tracy Solar, are EDF Renewables projects, while the Riverside Project is affiliated with AES Corporation, another big player in the renewable energy sector.

Nevertheless, they’re not the first to be approved, with New York having previously approved several others. In fact, the state currently has about 20 approved projects, if you include those being built through the State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment.

The Potential Benefits of the 390 MW Solar Projects

For the first 20 years, these three projects are expected to provide about $20 million worth of payment-in-lieu of taxes, in addition to agreements to invest in additional services, infrastructure, and more for the host communities.

Furthermore, they’re expected to spur investment to the tune of over $458 million.

They should also lead to more than 450 new jobs in the construction and development of the facility, as well as facility management, operations, and maintenance.

References

1.
California Doubling the Number of EV Chargers in the State With $3 Billion Investment
California today approved a plan for nearly $3 billion in funding for 90,000 new electric vehicle chargers in the state, accelerating the state’s transition to clean transportation.
2.
Homer Solar EDF Renewables North America
The 90 MW Homer Solar Project, located in New York, is set to become operational in 2025.
3.
Riverside Solar Project AES
The Riverside Solar Project is a 100 megawatt MW solar photovoltaic electric generating facility proposed to be located in Jefferson County, New York the Project. The Project will span approximately 1,000 acres and plans to connect to the Lyme to Lyme Tap 115kv line.
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