The Town of East Hampton has agreed to work with a state agency to explore the development of renewable energy projects on underutilized sites.
The East End town was one of three locales, along with the City of Niagara Falls and Ithaca College,that signed a memo of understanding with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) as part of the agency’s Build-Ready Program, according to a NYSERDA statement.
East Hampton nominated 11 sites in the town that might have the potential to be developed for renewable energy projects. The sites, which include municipal landfills and parking lots and other properties, are being considered for hosting ground-mounted and canopy solar installations.
“This initiative has the potential to increase opportunities for solar projects supporting the town’s commitment to the transition to renewable energy,” East Hampton Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez said in the statement.
If a site is deemed viable, NYSERDA de-risks the siteand makes them“build-ready” by leading the permitting, design and interconnection of the site and developing a community benefits package, according to a NYSERDA spokesperson. The site is then auctioned through an open and competitive process to a private renewable energy developer who providesthe construction and operation of the site.
“The Build-Ready Program is an innovative and accessible way to meet our state’s climate, energy, and emission goals. Utilizing existing sites for renewable energy is tapping into a plentiful resource that has been otherwise underutilized,” Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the Citizens Campaign for the Environment,said in the statement. “Exploring the feasibility of these projects in the Town of East Hampton, Ithaca College, and the City of Niagara Falls benefits those communities and sets a blueprint for a path forward for the entire state to reap the benefits of solar, EV charging, battery storage and more renewable energy infrastructure projects.”
The Build-Ready Program is advancing a pipeline of sites acrossthestate, having screened over 17,000 locations, and progressing dozens of sites through more advanced assessment and development. Local community members, elected officials, private companies, environmental justice communities, or other interested parties are encouraged to nominate potential Build-Ready sites, which will be considered on a rolling basis.
“New York continues to cultivate a portfolio of underutilized sites that offer municipalities and the private sector opportunities to re-imagine these spaces and turn them into revenue-generating sources of clean energy,” Doreen M. Harris, NYSERDA’s president and CEO, said in the statement.
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