Welcome to the Fall 2020 Edition of our Southern Tier Clean Energy Communities (CEC) quarterly newsletter!
The purpose of this newsletter is to keep municipalities, elected officials, and others in the counties of Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Delaware, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, and Tompkins informed about the great work being performed in the Southern Tier to make our communities more sustainable and energy efficient. As coordinators, our focus is NYSERDA's Clean Energy Communities initiative and other energy-related activities taking place throughout the region. We are available to assist you, your local government, and your community as you implement clean energy actions, save energy costs, create jobs, and improve the environment.
The Southern Tier region now has 37 officially designated Clean Energy Communities! Work continues with many other municipalities seeking designation and advice on energy usage. CEC coordinators are available to function as your municipality's energy advisor. If you have any questions regarding energy usage, or if you're interested in joining the movement towards becoming a Clean Energy Community, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Southern Tier CEC Team
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We are excited to welcome Todd Knobbe, our new Clean Energy Community Coordinator! Todd will be working alongside Terry Carroll to help municipalities continue to participate in the Clean Energy Communities program. Todd will be working with municipalities in Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, and Tioga counties.
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Todd comes to us from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he held Research and Teaching Assistantships in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Geology from the University of Arkansas before making his way up North to work at Rensselaer.
Aside from helping municipalities navigate the Clean Energy Communities program, Todd enjoys spending his time hiking around the Finger Lakes and the Southern Tier, volunteering locally, and training his new puppy! Please join us in welcoming him to our team.
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We will have important emails going out about future grant opportunities, upcoming events, and more!
Please make sure your municipal emails are up to date and any new officials subscribe to our email list!
The form below can be used to update information and to add new subscribers.
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Under Supervisor Price’s leadership the Town of Windsor became a designated Clean Energy Community in November of 2017 and became eligible for a $50,000 grant. The Town is currently in the process of utilizing that funding to make energy efficiency improvements at their wastewater treatment facility and hopes to one day include a solar array at the site. That would be one of the first wastewater facilities with onsite solar in not only the County, but the Southern Tier region as a whole!
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It has been a pleasure working with the Town and Supervisor Price over the last three and a half years and we wish her well in her next ventures. As she’s made Windsor a leader when it comes to clean energy in Broome County and the Southern Tier, we’re sure she’ll succeed at whatever she puts her mind to next! We look forward to working with their next Town Supervisor, Mark Odell to ensure that the Town continues to be a Clean Energy Communities Champion!
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If you missed our recent webinar series on Community Choice Aggregation, now is your chance to learn more! Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) allows local governments to choose where the energy comes from for their community. By pooling demand, communities build the clout necessary to negotiate lower rates with private suppliers, and are able to choose cleaner energy. A CCA can allow whole communities to participate in the clean energy economy by ensuring that a greater percentage of electricity is coming from renewable sources. CCA has the potential to simultaneously deliver lower monthly bills and cleaner energy for your constituents.
In the Southern Tier, only one community has submitted documentation to achieve this action: the VIllage of Horseheads in Chemung County who chose to work with MEGA to create a 100% renewable electricity-based CCA!
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"We, as a Village, spent over a year researching and asking questions of other CCA joined communities throughout New York State. Our experience(s) with MEGA CCA have been positive. We are guaranteeing a fixed rate for two years."
- Village of Horseheads Manager, Nate Nagle
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Interested in learning more about CCAs, participant experiences, or about different administrators? Your CEC team has created a series of webinars to help you get started!
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Your Southern Tier CEC Team wanted to congratulate and thank all of our municipalities for the great successes we have seen in the first round of the Clean Energy Communities Program throughout our region!
At least one municipality from each of our counties were active in the CEC program and helped earn our region over $1.7 million in grant funding!
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While the first round of the program has come to an end, we will be sharing new opportunities to continue clean energy initiatives and earning grant funding for your communities.
Be on the lookout for our emails! Need to update your information? Have new staff that need to be signed up for our emails? Click the button below!
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There are thousands of dollars in incentives to help New York State homeowners and renters improve the energy efficiency of their home, upgrade heating systems and water heaters to electric heat pumps, and go solar, either on your property or a community solar farm. Even renters can benefit and there are special programs for income-eligible households that may cover some or all of the costs of the improvements, up to $10,000. Cornell Cooperative Extension, through its Smart Energy Choices program, can help connect residents (as well as small businesses and non-profits) with relevant state, federal and utility programs and incentives, and with qualified local contractors.
Contact Karim Beers, Smart Energy Choices coordinator for the Southern Tier region, (607) 272-2292 x 186 or kwb6@cornell.edu, or visit www.smartenergychoices.org for more information.
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The four 2020 winners of the 76West Clean Energy Competition were revealed. The Grand Prize winning company was ThermoAI, a company focused on optimizing and automating industrial combustion with patent-pending artificial intelligence to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase energy efficiency. ThermosAI was awarded $1,000,000, and three finalist companies each received $500,000. These awards will help these deserving clean energy startup companies bring their business to the Southern Tier region of New York State. Check out the other winners here.
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Action Seminar: Low carbon concrete and local government leadership
When: Mon, November 16, 2020; 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Where: Virtual (Register Here)
This action seminar will provide guidance for local governments in New York State and beyond that are ready to take action on lowering the carbon footprint of the concrete they use. The program will culminate in an invitation to participate in a new campaign focused on decarbonizing the most universal form of local civic infrastructure: sidewalks and curbs.
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TEN November Member Zoom Meeting
When: November 17, 2020; 9:30AM-11:30AM
Where: Virtual (Join Meeting here)
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The Executive Board will provide updates on the CEI Cluster Mapping Project and the featured guest speaker will be Brenda Grober, the Director of Industry Development: Clean Technology for Empire State Development.
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New 94-C Renewables Permitting Law and Utility-Scale Solar: Key Takeaways for NYS Municipalities
When: November 16, 2020; 1:00pm - 2:00pm.
The Newly Released Regulations and Uniform Standards and Conditions are designed to implement the law passed in April, 2020.
Register here.
Community-wide Solar and Savings
When: November 17, 2020; 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Community Choice Aggregation can be utilized to provide solar and save money for entire communities through community solar with an opt-out mechanism.
Register here.
Clean Energy Communities: How our Region has Evolved through CEC
When: November 18, 2020; 12:30pm - 1:30pm.
Presented by Haylee Ferington. AND Rochester People's Climate Coalition Conversation on the Barriers and Opportunities for Sustainable Developments Presented by Kristen Van Hooreweghe.
Register here.
How to Electrify Your Fleet
When: November 19, 2020; 11:30am - 12:30pm.
This workshop examines the necessary steps an organization should take to begin an electrification program for its fleet vehicles. This includes setting goals, developing a project budget and schedule as well as stakeholder engagement. It will also focus on the specifics of infrastructure development and electric vehicle acquisition. It will also address project evaluation and reporting.
Register here.
For more information about the Clean Energy Communities Sessions, please contact Haylee Ferington: hferington@gflrpc.org or 585-454-0190
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