A ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark Long Island’s first municipal solar-plus-battery-storage project is to happen at noon today on the East Hampton Town Hall campus.
The 75-kilowatt solar photovoltaic and 137-kilowatt-hour battery system at the Parks and Building Maintenance Department building, at 159 Pantigo Road, has been operational since January. The battery discharges solar energy into the grid when demand relief is needed, and credits received for its renewable energy generation offset Town Hall’s electricity costs.
With the new system, the building becomes the first in the town to achieve the goal of net-zero carbon emissions in terms of electricity generation. It also supports New York State’s goal to procure 70 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030, as set forth in the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, and the town’s goal of achieving communitywide energy in all sectors from renewable sources, also by 2030. The New York Power Authority recommended the system’s installation as part of the town’s renewable-energy goal, and awarded a grant for the project.
The 165-panel system is tied into the Parks Department building and will provide about 90 megawatt hours of energy annually, according to a statement issued from Town Hall on Monday. In the first year, it is to offset almost 110,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, equivalent to the CO2 emissions from more than 125,000 miles driven by an average passenger vehicle. It is expected that all of the building’s energy costs will be offset with credits from the energy produced by the solar array. Any additional energy credits will be allocated to another building on the Town Hall campus.
When the project was announced in 2021, Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc estimated that the project would save taxpayers at least $10,000 per year between bill credits and reduced electricity costs, while reducing carbon emissions and making the Town Hall campus more resilient.
The town chose Solar Liberty and its financing partner on the project, Inclusive Prosperity Capital, to develop the solar-plus-battery storage system. The solar system will be financed through a 20-year power purchase agreement with Inclusive Prosperity Capital, with no upfront costs to the town. The battery was added at no cost to the town through a grant from NYPA.
Solar panels are also producing power at the Montauk police substation and the Lamb Building in Amagansett, which houses the Office of Housing and Community Development and the town trustees. The town plans to add solar panels whenever a municipal building’s roof needs replacing, Kim Shaw, the director of the Natural Resources Department, said on Monday.
The town’s solar portfolio includes the independently operated Accabonac solar farm and the Solarize East Hampton campaign, which offers discounts on solar installations to residents and local businesses.
The town has also received grants to complete the engineering design to replace fossil fuel heating systems in municipal buildings with electric heat pump systems, Ms. Shaw said. They are at the Police Department annex and the food pantry at the Town Hall campus, and at the Montauk Playhouse.
The town board adopted a climate emergency declaration in 2021 on the recommendation of the energy and sustainability advisory committee. It requires the town to make climate change mitigation and the elimination of greenhouse gas emissions a guiding principle and objective of all town business, including municipal operations, policy and purchasing decisions, and planning and zoning decisions.
The town engaged OptoNY Inc. in 2021 to develop a “roadmap” to the goal of achieving all of its energy needs from renewable sources. Last month, the consultancy solicited residents’ participation in a survey to gather ideas as to which strategies are seen as viable. OptoNY is expected to make another presentation to the board in June.
Scheduled to attend today’s ribbon-cutting are Justin Driscoll, NYPA’s acting president and chief executive officer, Anthony Fiore, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s chief program officer, and other state and local officials. It will interrupt the town board meeting that starts at 11 a.m. The board will reconvene upon its conclusion.
