By GREGORY ZELLER //
New York has greenlighted two major solar-energy facilities, including one on Long Island – the first renewable-energy facilities approved under new state regulations.
The New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting, a first-of-its-kind state agency focused on the environmentally responsible and cost-effective siting of renewable-energy facilities, has issued final siting permits for Riverhead Solar 2 LLC and the Morris Ridge Solar Energy Center LLC. Combined, the two facilities are projected to generate enough renewable energy to power more than 46,000 homes while reducing annual carbon emissions by more than 208,000 metric tons – the equivalent of removing 41,000 cars from state roads, as calculated by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office.
The ORES, established in April 2020 by the Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act, figures to be busy in the coming months. The governor’s office notes 46 permit applications in the pipeline, with four in the final-review stage: three upstate solar-power projects and an offshore-wind proposal centered in northwestern Orleans County, on the shores of Lake Ontario.
But in Riverhead Solar 2 (a project of multinational Applied Energy Services) and the Morris Ridge Solar Energy Center (a project of San Diego-based EDF Renewables, a subsidiary of the multinational EDF Group), Albany has set a new standard, combining a scientific vetting process and “robust public participation” to ensure compliance with strict state restrictions, according to the governor’s office.
Basil Seggos: The science speaks volumes.
“As part of our aggressive clean- and renewable-energy goals, we’re committed to protecting New York State from the effects of climate change and helping to ensure renewable-energy sources can be built and distributed easily and efficiently,” Cuomo said, noting New York “has long been a national leader on climate change.
“With the approval of these two projects, we are taking significant steps toward saving the environment and fostering new jobs and investment to bring our economy back better, stronger and greener from the COVID-19 pandemic,” the governor added.
Riverhead Solar 2, proposed in the Town of Riverhead, is a 36-megawatt solar photovoltaic facility projected to provide enough power annually to meet the needs of an estimated 8,500 homes. Located in Livingston County’s Town of Mount Morris, the Morris Ridge Solar Energy Center is a 177-megawatt solar photovoltaic facility – including up to 83 MW of energy storage – projected to generate enough renewable juice to annually power 38,000 homes.
Both projects address the comprehensive regulations and meet the uniform standards adopted in March by the ORES – key components of Albany’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which aims to have 70 percent of New York’s electricity generated by renewable sources by 2030, and targets a zero-emission state energy grid by 2040.
“By establishing the [ORES], New York is advancing projects that will help achieve our state’s ambitious climate-change goals,” Basil Seggos, commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, said in a statement.
Solar-generated electricity – and the battery-storage technology targeted for the Morris Ridge Solar Energy Center – are “proven science-based solutions that will reduce harmful emissions while creating thousands of jobs,” according to Seggos.
Sun city: The Riverhead Solar 2 array is projected to provide enough power for 8,500 homes.
“The Riverhead and Morris Ridge solar projects represent New York’s national leadership and commitment to combat climate change by ramping up sustainable sources of renewable energy while growing the state’s green economy,” the commissioner added.
Renewable-energy advocates across the state also hailed the Riverhead Solar 2 and Morris Ridge permits. Allison Considine, New York representative for the Sierra Club, said the grassroots national organization “applauds the swift and thorough development of the ORES process,” while National Resources Defense Council Senior Renewable Energy Advocate Cullen Howe said the permits prove that “you don’t have to choose between protective environmental regulations for siting renewable energy and moving quickly to ensure that aggressive climate and clean-energy goals are met.”
The announcement of the two permits, coming just 14 months after the ORES was established, shows “the sun is rising on New York’s green-energy economy,” according to New York League of Conservation Voters President Julie Tighe.
“The two solar projects will help us transition away from fossil fuels, reduce climate pollution, improve air quality and create green jobs,” Tighe added. “Thank you to ORES for making progress on this important issue and its commitment to ensuring a streamlined but environmentally protective approach to … meeting our clean-energy goals.”
