FORT EDWARD \u2014New York state has plans to construct two 20-megawatt solar energy projects in Fort Edward, part of an effort to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
\n\u201cAs the world economy resets, and as change is a necessity, there is an opportunity to raise our efforts to the next level, and New York should seize this moment,\u201d Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. \u201cWe can establish ourselves as the nation\u2019s leader for renewable energy innovation and production. And we will secure the jobs of the future right here at home for New Yorkers.\u201d
\nThe plan includes four components, including identifying large-scale projects that would generate sufficient energy; creating manufacturing facilities needed to construct green infrastructure; increasing the state\u2019s transmission supply so energy created elsewhere can flow to other parts of the state; and expanding education and job training in order to meet the workforce needs associated with green energy.
\nAlso included in the governor\u2019s plan is a $26 billion public-private partnership already underway to build 92 renewable energy projects throughout the state. Sixty-eight of those projects have already been started in some form, including 52 solar and 13 wind energy projects.
\nThe state has awarded two contracts to build the solar facilities in Fort Edward, one to Dolan Solar and the other to Somers Solar, according to a spokesperson the New York State Research and Development Agency, the state agency tasked with overseeing the state\u2019s renewable energy sector.
\nCS Energy, a New Jersey-based energy firm with offices in Albany, will construct both projects.
\nIn a statement, the state\u2019s Research and Development Agency said the projects will create multiple long-term jobs in the region, but did not specify how many.
\n\u201cMost solar projects of this size will create multiple long-term jobs in development and operations and maintenance that will service the developer\u2019s projects throughout the region,\u201d the agency said.
\nThe facilities are expected to break ground as soon as all the necessary permits are issued, which will likely be by the end of the year. The facilities are expected to be operational by 2025.
\nThe projects would nearly double the county\u2019s solar capacity, which was just over 25 megawatts as of August, according to data from the Research and Development Agency.
\nIt\u2019s unclear how many local jobs the pair of solar projects would create, said Laura Oswald, the county\u2019s director for economic development.
\nOfficials said most jobs associated with building solar projects involve the construction and are only temporary. The jobs may not even be filled by locals, depending on whether the companies being awarded the project have their own crews or contract with outside companies, she said.
\n\u201cThe direct impact is construction while the solar projects are being constructed. But solar fields long-term don\u2019t typically have a lot of job creation attached to them,\u201d Oswald said.
\nShe said most long-term jobs associated with clean energy pertain to the construction of solar panels or wind turbines.
\nSeveral other large-scale solar projects throughout the county are also in development, Oswald said. That includes a 20-megawatt facility in Greenwich and several others in the eastern portion of the county, including the town of Easton.
\nBids for those projects have yet to be awarded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FORT EDWARD \u2014New York state has plans to construct two 20-megawatt solar energy projects in Fort Edward, part of an effort to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. \u201cAs the world economy resets, and as change is a necessity, there is an opportunity to raise our efforts to the next level, and New York should seize […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":196,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\r\n