Greenport embraces solar, wind power

Posted: Friday, October 4, 2013 12:50 am

By Arthur Cusano Columbia-Greene Media | 

Members of the Greenport Town Board voted unanimously Wednesday to enter into agreements with companies offering solar and wind power for the town.

The board voted to enter into an agreement with Monolith Solar Associates LLC to install a photovoltaic system to provide solar energy for town hall. The solar panels will be installed on the ground on the property adjacent to the building, as opposed to the building itself, due to the orientation of the building not being conducive to solar panels.

Town Engineer Ray Jurkowski told those on hand there will be no cost to the town for that installation of equipment and that there will be an estimated 20 percent reduction in the rate that is charged to the town as far as supply.

The lease is for 20 years, and at the end of that lease the town can purchase the panels if it chooses to do so or choose to extend the lease for another five years. Or it could tell Monolith to remove the solar panels and end its relationship with the company, Jurkowski said.

The company is responsible for visiting the panels for maintenance once a year and remotely monitoring the panels to ensure they are working properly. The panels have a life expectancy of 20 years, according to the company.

“If the panels or any of the other equipment is damaged, it’s their responsibility to remove and replace it,” Jurkowski said. “It behooves them to make those repairs because they are gaining the most benefit as far as the sale of the electricity.”

Greenport Town Hall will be the trial location, with other locations in the town to follow if the test goes well, including the sewer and water pump stations.

The town also voted to start getting its power with Viridian Energy, a supplier of wind-generated power, to provide power for 16 electrical meters in the town, which the company estimates will save the town $80,000 a year. The town will retain National Grid as its utility company, which will distribute power and maintain the lines, but will no longer be its energy provider.

On hand for Wednesday’s meeting was Patrick Manning, a Virdian Energy associate, who gave a presentation to the board at the beginning of the meeting prior to the board vote.

“About 20 years ago, the federal government told the utilities that they can’t make energy and sell it to yourselves and then sell it to consumers, because that’s a monopoly,” Manning said. “We didn’t allow it for the cell phone companies and the phone companies and the Ma Bells, we shouldn’t be doing it with the electric companies.”

The supply side costs have since become competitive, and in New York municipalities are allowed to choose a provider as an alternative to letting the utility company use their default supplier, which Manning said can be much more expensive.