NYSERDA Clean Energies Communities Grant Funding Still Available

There is still grant funding available through the NYSERDA Clean Energy Communities program for municipalities that complete one of four community campaigns - Community Solar, Demand Response, Clean Heating & Cooling, and Electric Vehicles!

Municipalities that complete a CEC Campaign can earn either $5,000 (for a municipality under 40,000 in population) or $15,000 (for a municipality over that size) towards clean energy projects and initiatives through NYSERDA. Sustainable Westchester is currently assisting municipalities with Demand Response (in Con Ed territory), Community Solar, and Clean Heating and Cooling campaigns. There is a limited amount of grant funding available, so please contact Lauren Brois (lauren@sustainablewestchester.org), Program Director of EnergySmart HOMES, for more information, and to find out what we can do to help your municipality begin a campaign. To see if we are able to accommodate a Community Solar campaign at this time, which is dependent on availability in our solar farms, please contact Claire Kokoska (claire@sustainablewestchester.org), Manager of Solar Programs. 

To date, Sustainable Westchester has worked with two dozen municipalities to launch over 50 individual CEC Community Campaigns. Sustainable Westchester provides turnkey campaign assistance and works very closely with interested municipalities. Our team walks each member through the campaigns from start to finish, from application to the marketing plan and toolkit creation, outreach and implementation of the campaigns and the final document submissions for the grant applications. 

21 member municipalities completed 34 CEC campaigns for Community Solar, Demand Response (GridRewards), and Clean Heating & Cooling. In total, these municipal members are eligible for $230,000 in grant funding - of which, $135,000 has already been received.

We would like to thank the Hudson Valley Regional Council in their role as regional coordinators for this effort and for the assistance they provide to Sustainable Westchester and our member municipalities. 

In addition to CEC Campaigns, municipalities may complete other “High Impact Actions” to earn points for additional points-based CEC grants. Many of our programs rank among the highest-impact actions that municipalities can take to earn points for grant dollars. The chart below provides more details on these actions and provides guidance on how our Sustainable Westchester team can connect you to additional resources.

Sustainable Westchester Partners With New York Power Authority to Expand Community Solar Throughout Westchester County

Sustainable Westchester is proud to collaborate with local municipalities and school districts to advance community solar projects on publicly-owned municipal rooftops and parking lots, through the new Westchester Community Solar Partnership program. 

The Westchester Community Solar Partnership program, launched in 2021 in partnership with New York Power Authority (NYPA) and Westchester County, allows local governments and school districts to serve as hosts for community solar projects. This program takes advantage of the state agency’s public procurement process to provide local, renewable energy infrastructure funded by third-party solar developers. The Community Solar projects will make the community’s energy grid greener and provide local subscribers with guaranteed savings on their electricity bills. 

The Westchester Community Solar Partnership program prioritizes the development of Community Solar projects, also known as Community Distributed Generation (CDG) projects, to provide participants who may not have the time, income, or familiarity with green energy solutions a way to easily access its benefits. Through Sustainable Westchester’s role in enrolling residents as subscribers to receive benefits from such projects, participating households will receive a guaranteed discount of 10% on their electricity bill through solar credits from the project. Community Solar is free to join and there is no cost to cancel. 

Any local governments or school districts that are NYPA customers interested in the program should contact Sustainable Westchester. The first step is signing a non-binding memorandum of understanding allowing NYPA to assess potential sites owned by the city, town, village, or school district.

Nina Orville, Executive Director, notes “Sustainable Westchester plays a two-part role in this Community Solar program. Due to its close working relationship with its municipal members, Sustainable Westchester is collaborating with NYPA and each developer to explain the opportunity and process to each host site owner.”

How it works

To participate in the Westchester Community Solar Partnership program as an NYPA customer, each interested municipality or school district signs a non-binding memorandum of understanding with NYPA acknowledging that it is submitting sites or facilities to be considered in the program as hosts for Community Solar projects. 

At this time, the 3 chosen developers have performed preliminary reviews to determine that two dozen sites appear to be viable. 5 different school districts have 14 potential host sites located on the roofs of the schools themselves. In addition, 7 different cities, towns and villages have another 10 potential host sites, a mix of roofs of municipal facilities, and parking canopies over municipally-owned parking lots. 

Sites that pass the utility review will then become the subject of a host site agreement between the developer and the municipality or school district, which takes the form of a long-term lease for the location of the solar project. 

The program path for school districts differs from that for municipalities due to the state requirement that long-term leases for school facilities require an affirmative vote in a public referendum, typically undertaken during a school district’s annual school bond vote in late spring. Cities, towns, and villages do not need a public referendum and may enter into long-term leases through their normal legislative process. The list of potential host sites will continue to evolve as more local governments and school districts become aware of the opportunity and sign up with NYPA for the program.

As each project reaches its host site agreement, Sustainable Westchester will partner with its municipal members for the enrollment of local residents and organizations to the community solar projects. In keeping with our goals to increase access to renewable energy, the program will prioritize low-to-moderate-income residents for enrollment. Subscribers will receive a discount of up to 10% off their electricity bills each month, with savings tailored to each enrollee.

Interested in learning more? Contact Leo Wiegman, Solar Program Director, at Leo@Sustainablewestchester.org.

RESERVE YOUR SPOT!

FEBRUARY 23
Clean Energy and Your Comprehensive Plan: An introduction to best practices and strategies for incorporating clean energy goals and objectives into a new or updated municipal comprehensive plan. Municipal board members, planning staff, and comprehensive plan committee members are encouraged to attend. REGISTER HERE

MARCH 2
Solar PV Permitting and Inspecting: An in-depth review of permitting and inspecting solar energy systems in New York State from start to finish; topics covered include the NYS Unified Solar Permit and various components of the NYS Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code. Code enforcement and building officials are encouraged to attend. This training is approved for 2-hours of DOS In-Service training credit. REGISTER HERE

MARCH 9
Overview of the Model Solar Energy Law: In-depth review of the customizable template zoning law contained in NYSERDA’s Solar Guidebook for Local Governments. Municipal board members, code enforcement officials, and staff are encouraged to attend. REGISTER HERE

MARCH 16
Battery Energy Storage for First Responders: Understand key safety considerations for battery energy storage systems for codes and building officials; covered topics include fire prevention considerations and compliance with the 2020 NYS Uniform Code. Code enforcement and building officials are encouraged to attend. This training is approved for 2-hours of DOS In-Service training credit. REGISTER HERE

MARCH 23
Overview of the Model Battery Energy Storage System Law: An in-depth review of the customizable template zoning law contained in NYSERDA’s Battery Energy Storage System Guidebook for Local Governments. Municipal board members, code enforcement officials, and staff are encouraged to attend. REGISTER HERE