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Welcome to the Spring Edition of our Southern Tier Clean Energy Communities (CEC) quarterly newsletter - the second of 2018.
The purpose of this newsletter is to keep municipalities, elected officials, and others in the counties of Steuben, Chemung, Schuyler, Tioga, Tompkins, Broome, Chenango, and Delaware 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 nine 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,
Tara Donadio, Katherine Herleman, and Terry Carroll - CEC Coordinators for the Southern Tier
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In previous issues of this newsletter we’ve introduced readers to all the members of the CEC team. In this issue we shift focus to discussing the overall state of the Clean Energy Communities program in our region. The last few months have seen a flurry of activities - with nine designated CEC communities and almost twice that amount that are active! The program is really starting to gain momentum with a designated community in almost all of our eight counties.
The increasing success of CEC in our region is something of which we are very proud, and we are encouraged that so many new communities are working towards designation. Sometimes, we still hear from municipalities that pursuing four action-items can be daunting, especially when not all of them seem to fit easily with their community goals. Our response would be that there is still value in pursuing just one or two of the actions, even if designation is not ultimately the goal. Taking inventory, organizing data, and prioritizing energy infrastructure updates prepares your community to make informed decisions in the future. Conserving energy saves money, makes those future investments more feasible, and demonstrates to many parties -- including residents, grant reviewers, and potential investors -- that your community is investing responsibly in its future.
It is our goal that communities see us as a resource when it comes to energy. Our services are free to you and your community. If you’re wondering what type of heating system you should install in an old town hall or garage, or how you’ll find the funding to make the improvement, ask us! We work with municipalities all across the Southern Tier and are happy to share the experience of neighboring communities and to put you in touch with those that have firsthand experience. Similarly, if your having issues with solar zoning, or want to look deeper at energy codes, talk to us! We have a wide-range of experience across our region and are here to help.
Please take advantage of this NYSERDA funded program and allow us the opportunity to act as energy advisers for your community at no cost to you - we are not only willing, but happy to help any community in the Southern Tier.
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Village Mayor John P. King and Village Trustee Jim Ryan inspect the future EV charging station location.
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Community leaders in the Village of Montour Falls have been working tirelessly to become designated as a Clean Energy Community. As part of their effort, the Village recently installed its first EV charging station in the municipal parking lot next to Sal’s Bar and Grill located at 230 W Main Street.
This beautiful downtown location is adjacent to a pocket park which hosts the local farmers market. Complete with a community gazebo and seating, it even provides a view of the famous Shequaga Falls and is sure to be popular with both residents and visitors!
From left to right : Village Trustee Jim Ryan, DPW Foreman Michael Hughey and Village of Montour Falls Mayor John P. King are excited to unbox the EV Connect EV charging station.
The cost of the EV charging station was significantly reduced by NYSERDA’s financial incentives and the Village DPW’s contribution to the excavation process. Feel free to reach out to the Michael Hughey of the Department of Public Works or your regional CEC Coordinator to learn more about the details of siting and self-installing the EV charging station.
In addition to installing the EV charging station, the Village is participating in benchmarking, using the Unified Solar Permit, and ensuring its code enforcement officers have up-to-date knowledge of the energy code. If the Village secures a Tier II, $50,000 grant, they plan to renovate their Village Hall by closing the building envelope. This would allow the village to reclaim a currently unused second floor due to poor insulation and the high cost of heat. They the plan to use the space to host energy conservation education programming for Village residents to ensure they are taking advantage of savings offered by existing federal and state programs.
Village Trustee Jim Ryan praised the CEC initiative, saying,
“These grants allow local governments to set the example for the rest of the community. We want to show our residents that we can use their tax dollars even more efficiently by conserving energy. We also want to show them that they don’t need to choose between putting food on the table or buying LED light bulbs -- NYSERDA has programs that can assist many of our businesses and residents with conserving energy and saving money”.
Village Mayor John P. King added that he is very supportive of clean energy not only across the United States but also the whole planet:
“We want to move into the modern world while preserving the past and acknowledging our history”.
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Solarize
What is a Solarize Campaign?
Local governments can undertake a Solarize campaign to increase the number of solar rooftops in their jurisdiction through group purchasing, locally-organized community education and outreach, and a limited time offer. The most recent round of NYSERDA Solarize Grants has been announced, and communities in the Southern Tier will be moving forward in 2018 to promote this effort. A community can undertake a Solarize Campaign themselves, or work with a local non-profit group such as Southern Tier Solar Works to run the campaign.
Solar contractors at a "Going Solar STC!” event in Steuben County, 2017
Campaigns start with a group vetting and partnering with installers - agreeing to what the solar offers will be to residents throughout the campaign. The partners then come up with a schedule of events, working to educate communities on their solar options and offering free estimates and quotes. Municipalities will often host events at one of their buildings and encourage citizens to attend through the use of emails or newspaper announcements. Throughout the campaign, the solar contractors and the campaign team support residents who are interested in going solar, insuring that residents are not only getting the best deals, but the education to make a decision that works for them and their families.
Some excellent campaigns including both rooftop and community solar were run all across all of the Southern Tier in 2017, including by volunteers in Solar Schuyler, Solar STC (Steuben County), Solarize Chemung, Southern Tier Solar Works (Broome, Tioga, Chenango and Delaware Counties) and Go Solar Tompkins. Southern Tier Solar Works has announced they will run campaigns again throughout the summer of 2018!
Regardless of the number of sign-ups, a campaign can be an excellent way to educate residents about their options for installing solar. Solarize Campaigns are truly a community effort, and a great way to educate people, debunking myths and providing information about options regarding solar.
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Since our last update, another municipality has joined the ranks of designated Clean Energy Communities: the Town of Veteran the first community in Chemung County! Veteran is now eligible for $50,000 in grant funding and has the hope of installing solar on the town garage and possibly replacing the current Village sign with a solar-powered, LED sign which will provide the community with updated event information.
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As an update from previous installments of this newsletter, Tompkins County, the City of Binghamton, the Town of Ulysses and the Town of Windsor have all received approval for their grant ideas and are moving forward with contracting. Their projects include creating a commercial energy navigator position and purchasing alternative fuel vehicles, giving out community grants, installing heat pumps to replace an old furnace system and upgrading a wastewater treatment plant and installing solar!
We'll be continuing to update this newsletter as more communities become designated and more projects get approved - it might just inspire your community to become designated and look at how you can start changing the way your community looks at energy!
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Founded through the efforts of local business leaders in 2014, the Tier Energy Network (TEN) is comprised of industry, government, community, and higher education leaders with expertise and interest in energy conservation, emerging energy technologies, renewable generation, sustainability, finance, venture capital, workforce development, innovation, building construction and marketing. The intent of TEN is to develop and promote the Southern Tier of New York for advanced clean energy business growth, creation of clean energy jobs, energy conservation and efficiency adaptation, development and adoption of renewable and energy storage technologies and services, and fostering a venture capital friendly environment for energy innovators. TEN currently has 80 participants who regularly attend monthly meetings.
In recent months, TEN has continued to hold monthly meetings that are open to the public and feature guest speakers from all energy sectors, businesses, and workforce development. TEN members have also assisted regional companies by providing technical and market analysis support. In the future, TEN plans to position smart energy technology as a core strength of the Southern Tier and efforts are underway to promote clean energy workforce development to meet the growing regional workforce needs of this growing sector.
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NYSEG's Direct Install Program for Interior/Exterior LEDs
NYSEG has unveiled and is soliciting applications to help municipalities switch their internal and external building lights to LEDs. Called the “Small Business Direct Install” program, the initiative is open to municipal and school buildings with NYSEG covering up to 70% of the cost to install energy efficient lights both inside and out, including the high bays often seen in municipal garages.
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The program starts with a FREE lighting assessment via Lime Energy and is open to any municipality using NYSEG as a electricity provider as long as funding is is available
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Projects must be signed and submitted by June 1st, 2018 and the projects must completed by December 31st, 2018 - so apply soon!
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To enroll, visit NYSEG’s website or call 1.877.359.9814 and sign up for your FREE lighting assessment - mention code: RNMUNI
Large Scale Renewables Coming to the Southern Tier
New York State announces $1.4 Billion to 26 large-scale renewable energy projects including 5 in the Southern Tier (second-most for any region in NYS) Projects include:
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Baron Winds, Steuben County: EverPower Wind Holdings Inc. will build a 272 MW wind farm in the towns of Cohocton, Dansville, Fremont, and Wayland.
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Bluestone Wind, Broome County: Calpine Corporation will build a 121.8 MW wind farm, accompanied by 6.2 MW of energy storage, in the towns of Windsor and Sanford.
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Branscomb Solar, Tioga County: Granada Solar will build a 19.99 MW solar facility in the town of Candor.
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Puckett Solar, Chenango County: Granada Solar will build a 19.99 MW solar facility in the town of Greene.
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Regan Solar, Chenango County: Granada Solar will build a 19.99 MW solar facility in the town of Guilford.
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May 10th, 10:30AM to 12:00 PM Climate Smart Communities Webinar - join us to learn about updates to the CSC Certification program and new tools to streamline the application process for local governments. Speakers will take attendees on a tour of the new online CSC certification portal and discuss the evolution of the program since its launch four years ago. To learn more about the portal, read the recent press release. For more information and to register, click here.
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May 16th, 6:30PM at Bistro 163 Community Solar Campaign Launch for Broome and Tioga Counties. If reading about the Solarize High Impact Action got you excited for educating residents about solar - then join us for the launch of Southern Tier Solar Works 2018 Community Solar Campaign in Broome and Tioga Counties! Find more information here!
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And if you're further east, dont miss the launch of the Delaware and Chenango Counties Community Solarize Campaign Launch on June 6th at 6:30PM at Awestruck Ciders, 8 Winkler Rd, Sidney, NY 13838 - more information to come on STSW's events page.
May 19th, 9:00AM to 5:00PM - Climate Smart Solutions Summit in Syracuse, New York at Fowler High School. The event will feature powerful keynotes, panels, case studies and workshops on renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean transportation, organizing, communications, environmental justice and more! For more information, visit http://climatesolutionssummit.org.
If you have an event related to energy that you would like others to know about in our Spring CEC Newsletter, please contact your CEC Coordinator.
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