Construction to begin on Laurens solar farm | Local News

Residents in The Daily Star coverage area are eligible to sign up for a new community solar project in Laurens.

Construction is expected to begin this week on a solar farm sited over 13 acres of a former landfill on Pool Brook Road, according to solar company Solstice spokesperson Andrew Alayza. The project is expected to be complete this fall or winter and can support about 400 households.

Otsego, Delaware, Chenango and Sullivan County New York State Electric and Gas customers are eligible to sign up for the Solstice project, which promises an estimated 10 percent savings on customers’ monthly electric bills. A one-year contract has no cancellation fees, and customers are still billed a NYSEG basic delivery fee monthly while most of their bill is covered by solar energy, according to Alayza.

Solstice has completed solar projects of similar size in Elmira and Baldwin with developer Delaware River Solar. A spokesperson for the developer estimated that the Laurens project would create 37 full-time construction jobs during the installation phase.

Alayza said that Solstice has previously asked customers to commit to a six-year contract. The community solar projects allow people to take advantage of the renewable energy option who aren’t able to put solar panels on their own homes, including renters.

“They only pay for the energy they consume and that comes at a 10 percent discount,” Alayza said, adding that the company also charges no monthly or sign-up fees.

Interested residents can learn more at solstice.us/go-solar/ or call the company at (607) 398-0597.

The Laurens project is among several in the pipeline for Solstice and one of many solar arrays popping up across New York State. Also in Laurens is a solar farm on county land built by Solar City, the nation’s largest solar provider. The array was completed in the fall and has supported the energy bill for Otsego County buildings, according to the county director of planning and solid waste, Karen Sullivan.

Arcadia Power, a Washington, D.C.-based company, is offering an energy arrangement similar to Solstice for its projects under construction in Dover Plains, Mechanicville, Halfmoon and Geneva. Each can support about 500 customers, according to the company.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Reforming the Energy Vision plan was launched in 2014 and encourages utility companies to acquire 50 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by the year 2030. Grant funding through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and federal tax credits help offset costs for many projects.

Erin Jerome, staff writer, may be reached at (607) 441-7221, or at ejerome@thedailystar.com. Follow her on Twitter at @DS_ErinJ .