The City of White Plains has broken ground on a nine-project, 6.8 megawatt community solar portfolio that will triple the amount of solar energy produced in all of Westchester County.
When complete, the White Plains community solar portfolio will be the largest municipal renewable energy deployment in the county. Construction on the portfolio is expected to conclude before the fall of this year.
The New York Power Authority (NYPA), with its administrative offices in White Plains, is acting as an energy advisor on the project to ensure it is well structured and provides White Plains with the greatest possible energy, environmental, and economic benefits. The Department of Public Works, in conjunction with NYPA, prepared a Request for Proposals (RFP) for leasing municipal property for solar development at various city locations and solicited more than 100 qualified developers. Schenectady-based Distributed Solar Development (DSD) was chosen, in conjunction with Con Edison.
The projects will also help realize Governor Cuomo’s goal of installing 6,000 megawatts of solar by 2025 as called for in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. As Westchester County’s largest municipal project, the White Plains portfolio of projects hope to serve as an example for other communities that may be interested in actively pursuing clean energy initiatives.
The nine solar projects include a mix of canopy, rooftop, and ground mount installations at four parking garages, the Ebersole Ice Rink, Gedney Way Recycling Facility, Gillie Park, Water Department, and the Sanitation Complex. Systems at the Recycling Facility and Shapham Place parking garage will also include energy storage as part of the installations.
White Plains has a strong track record when it comes to renewable energy leadership. In 2014, it was one of the first municipalities to adopt the New York State Unified Solar Permit, which expedited residential solar permitting. In 2017, White Plains was designated a Clean Energy Community by the New York State Energy Research Development Authority (NYSERDA).
