PE’s In Construction Interest Group of The New York State Society of Professional Engineers recently presented Onforce Solar, H2M architects & engineers and the Town of Clarkstown with the NYSSPE 2015 Project of the Year Award. The video above gives a summary of the project which includes interviews with all responsible parties.
The Clarkstown Solar Field Over Landfill features a 2.3 megawatt system, which consists of roughly 4,300 solar panels on the 13-acre site. It generates 3 million-kilowatt hours, which is enough power to supply about 200 homes, and will cover about one-third of the electric needs of the Town of Clarkstown.
The solar project is a public/private partnership with OnForce Solar, who invested $6 million to install, operate, and maintain the solar installation pursuant to a 20 year Power Purchase Agreement. In addition, OnForce Solar received a multi-million dollar grant from NYSERDA through Governor Cuomo’s NY-Sun initiative. The solar field is expected to save taxpayers as much as $4 million over the next 30 years by producing electricity to be sold back to the utility grid.
The Town had the assistance of the following agencies for this project: H2M architects + engineers, the Rockland County Solid Waste Management Authority, NYSERDA, the NYS DEC, Orange and Rockland Utilities, Rockland County Trade Unions, and the New York Power Authority (NYPA). The NYPA is working on a white paper which should become a blueprint for municipalities to follow on how to implement a large scale solar field and find savings in municipal budgets.
The project will offset greenhouse gases to reduce the carbon footprint, is considered a green initiative and sustainability project, will reduce the Towns dependence on dirty fuel utility sources of supply and reduce power costs to the Town taxpayers.
Note: NYSSPE facilitates posting on this blog, but the views and accounts expressed herein are those of the author(s) and not the views or accounts of NYSSPE, its officers or directors whose views and accounts may or may not be similar or identical. NYSSPE, its officers and directors do not express any opinion regarding any product or service by virtue of reference to such product or service in this blog.
Elizabeth says
Great video clip! It allows us to understand more solar fields. That said project is really costly, however bring more than enough benefits to the society. Hence, its all worth it.