From the Editor: Javits Center’s Rooftop Solar Project a Cause for Celebration

Reflections from Jen

As a former New Yorker, I’m always particularly interested in the sustainability initiatives of the state, so this morning, a press release caught my eye: Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has put out a call for developers to submit proposals for the installation of up to 1.4 megawatts of solar renewable energy on the rooftop and sidewalk of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan (known more commonly as the Javits Center). If you’re not familiar with it, the Javits Center is the major convention facility for the city, hosting events like the New York International Auto Show and New York Comic Con.

The call for proposals says the solar power generation will offset the building’s electric load. As part of the project, more than 4,000 panels would be hosted on the center’s green roof, with an additional street-level solar array to be constructed on 11th Avenue. The developer will design, construct and own the solar PV system through a Power Purchase Agreement. The project is estimated to offset more than 2.7 million pounds of CO2 each year. 

I have a fondness for the Javits Center. It has a very cool, 6.75-acre green roof that has become a sanctuary for area wildlife, serving as a habitat to more than 25 bird species. And when I was about twenty years old, I attended a toy convention there which blew my mind in terms of the innovation that was displayed. I remember thinking at the time that a world of people who could imagine and create such amazing things (yes, toys) could certainly be counted on to solve the problems that faced the city and the world as a whole – problems like pollution and waste that were just beginning to worry me.

Decades later, happily finding myself with a career following innovations in sustainability and energy management, I’ve learned that pollution and waste are just the tiniest tip of the iceberg in terms of our global environmental challenges. But I’ve also learned that I was right back then: We live in a world filled with capable, innovative and passionate people dedicated to chipping away at our environmental problems with initiatives like the Javits Center’s solar project.

I look forward to following the process as, in Governor Cuomo’s words, the project “brings solar power to one of the Empire State’s most powerful economic engines [that] will push us closer to our ambitious energy goals… helping us to build a cleaner, greener New York.”

As my kids used to say, “Yay, us.”

Have a great weekend and, as always, stay in touch.

Jen

Jennifer Hermes Nastu

jen@businesssectormedia.com