Local solar installer Apex Solar Power was named one of the top solar contractors in the U.S. by Solar Power World magazine.

Apex was 136 out of 500 solar companies ranked by the magazine.

The Top Solar Contractors list is developed by Solar Power World to recognize the work completed by solar contractors across the country. Produced annually, the list celebrates the achievements of U.S. solar developers, subcontractors and installers within the utility, commercial and residential markets.

The list was released on July 25.

“The 2017 Top Solar Contractors list features 500 of the best solar contractors in the United States,” said Kelly Pickerel, managing editor of Solar Power World. “From solar hotbeds on the coasts to the up-and-coming Midwest solar market, every installer adding even the smallest solar array to the grid is making a positive impact on our communities. We’re proud to recognize these companies and their efforts to bring solar power to U.S. homes and businesses.”

The U.S. solar market installed more than 14,700 MW of solar in 2016, nearly doubling the capacity installed in 2015, according to the magazine. For the first time ever, solar was ranked as the No. 1 source of new electric generating capacity additions brought online throughout the year.

The Jefferson Project at Lake George was awarded the 2017 Harold K. Hochschild Award at the annual benefit gala of the Adirondack Experience, The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake in July.

The Jefferson Project—a collaboration between Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, IBM Research and The Fund for Lake George—uses technology and science to preserve and protect the Lake George, known as the Queen of American Lakes.

The Harold K. Hochschild Award is dedicated to the memory of the museum’s founder, whose passion for the Adirondacks, its people and environment inspired the creation of the institution and the establishment of the Adirondack Park Agency. Presented annually to recipients in a wide range of fields throughout the Adirondack Park, it honors their work to improve the region’s culture and quality of life.

The Jefferson Project combines Internet of Things technology and powerful analytics with science to create a new model for environmental monitoring and prediction, according to project officials.

By Jill Nagy

Boat N RV Condos, an indoor storage facility for boats, RVs, and similar recreation equipment, has gone solar at all three of its facilities—in Saratoga Springs, Glens Falls and Latham.

The most recent project, in Saratoga Springs, was completed in July. The Glens Falls facility went solar last February.

Concord Pools in Latham, the company’s flagship facility, has had solar panels on its roof for 10 years.

The buildings have “massive roof square footage,” said Michael Giavanone, who heads the company.

He said it seemed like a “socially responsible approach” to making use of that area. “We want to do everything we can to improve the environment.”

The company is renting its rooftop space to Monolith Solar on a 20-year lease, said Giavanone. That company supplied and installed the equipment and maintains it. The panels produce enough energy to keep the host facility in electricity and Monolith feeds the rest back into the grid.

Through the agreement, Boat N RV gets free electricity as well as rent payments from Monolith. Monolith, in return, gets paid for the energy it returns to the electricity grid. The boating storage areas “are not high-demand facilities,” Giavanone said, so the bulk of the power produced on the rooftops goes into the grid.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has developed a Solar PILOT Toolkit to assist the state’s municipalities in understanding and negotiating payment-in-lieu-of taxes (PILOT) agreements for solar projects larger than 1mw, including community solar projects.

Based on feedback from local government officials and solar industry representatives, NYSERDA developed the toolkit in response to the need for greater information on PILOT agreements as solar projects develop throughout the state, officials said.

The Solar PILOT Toolkit provides a framework for local taxing jurisdictions to negotiate payment agreements with solar developers. In addition to their clean energy and job-creation benefits, solar developments can yield significant financial value to municipalities through PILOT agreement payments, according to NYSERDA.

The toolkit addresses the lack of information on property tax issues around solar development and is designed to enable municipalities to work with developers to negotiate PILOT rates that benefit the community and make the projects financially attractive to developers and their customers.

“The Solar PILOT Toolkit will serve as a vital resource to help municipalities encourage the development of community solar projects and make sure they benefit the entire community,” Alicia Barton, president and CEO, NYSERDA said. “Large-scale solar projects provide a great opportunity for communities across the state to take advantage of clean, renewable energy while advancing Gov. Cuomo’s Reforming the Energy Vision strategy.”

New York state is undertaking significant changes in the way it generates and delivers electricity. As one example, community solar projects allow electric customers who are not able to install solar panels on their properties to own or subscribe to a portion of a community solar project, and benefit from the cost savings of clean generation.