ALBANY– A new five-acre solar photovoltaic array was announced on Sept. 1 in Colonie. The solar project will be constructed in partnership with BOCES CTE students.
The project is located at 897 Watervliet Shaker Road. The project’s 2.1 megawatt solar array will be developed by Siemens. Calibrant Energy will own and operate the project in a joint venture of Siemens and financial service company Macquarie Group.
Our feasibility study analyzed a number of county properties that would be suitable for this endeavor. However, we determined that this is the perfect location for a solar farm because there are virtually no neighbors, and the array is a compatible use with the radar tower,” Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy said.
Albany County will purchase 2.6 million kilowatt hours of clean energy from the solar farm annually. The purchase will be reimbursed for the power generated on county property, which will benefit taxpayers long-term. The solar array has also received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration due to one of its radar towers on the site.
Construction is estimated to be completed by 2024. With the addition of the solar farm, Albany is on track to be the greenest county in the state. The array will produce green energy equivalent to the carbon emissions of 252 homes.
“The Town of Colonie is pleased to collaborate with Albany County in advancing the solar project at 897 Watervliet-Shaker Road,” Colonie Town Supervisor Peter Crummey said. “This clean energy innovation will help the town achieve its ongoing goal promoting a diverse energy policy. We will continue to embrace a smart and balanced approach in keeping with our Climate Smart Community.”
The state has set a goal to completely transition to zero-emission resources and achieve a carbon-emission-free economy by 2050. This clean energy goal is one of the most ambitious in the nation and is part of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) passed in 2019. The CLCPA calls for 70 percent of the state’s electricity to be sourced from renewable energy by 2030.
The New York Power Authority has partnered with Albany County on this solar project. The Authority’s Distributed Energy Resource Advisory Services Team, working as the County’s advisor, will stay on to provide guidance and oversight throughout the project. Invasive black locust trees must be removed before construction begins on the site. There will be a one-to-one tree replacement, and local pollinators will be introduced to the site to continue its green impact.
A Community Partnership
With its proximity to the site, BOCES Career and Technical Education students will be able to take part in the site’s construction. Some of the students in these programs contributed to the construction of the Albany campus in 2021. Students in the electrical field program and the network cabling, wireless technologies and cybersecurity program learn about these industries through coursework, lectures and hands-on work.
The solar project will allow hands-on learning for these students through site work, installation and maintenance. BOCES primarily aims to prepare its students for post-high school careers and/or post-secondary studies. With a high demand for workers in these industries, BOCES knows its partners on the project would consider employing students who are qualified to work in the industry after the project’s construction.
“We are fortunate to have great partners in Albany County and Siemens, and this underscores the important relationship between workforce training programs, industry and government,” Capital Region BOCES Senior Executive Director Joseph Dragone, Ph.D., said. “The firsthand experience for our students at a worksite adjacent to our school is a tremendous opportunity to learn about the site development and installation of this technology.”
Dragone hopes that as more BOCES students contribute to clean energy projects, those students will then go on to help further the state’s clean energy goals. BOCES has already added programs that introduce work surrounding clean energy. Dragone also hopes to launch a new mechatronics and clean energy program in 2025.
As clean energy remains an essential target for the state, Albany County contributes two-fold to reach its ambitious goals. With its projects and increase in future industry employment, the target seems right on track.
This story appeared on page 2 of the October 4, 2023 print edition of the Spotlight