Town of Callicoon moves closer to solar installation

Community expresses support for ambitious plan

By FRITZ MAYER

JEFFERSONVILLE, NY — Supervisor Linda Babicz has coaxed a cautious town board to take a step closer to going solar. At a town meeting on September 22, the board voted unanimously to engage an engineer to draw up a request for proposal (RFP) for a solar-electric system for the town hall and the town barn.

The cost for the RFP will range from $1,000 to $2,000. The rest of the funds to pay for the estimated $335,000 system will come from a $125,000 grant from assemblywoman Aileen Gunther and $225,000 from New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA).

Councilman Tom Bose and others had previously expressed concern that the savings from the system would not be enough to replace it at the end of the 25-year life of the solar panels, despite the fact that the town would remain connected to the grid and could switch back to full-time use of the grid after 25 years for virtually no cost.

That concern, however, was countered by Dick Riseling, one of the founders of Sullivan Alliance for Sustainable Development, who explained that the savings and revenue generated by the system would be far greater than the board had realized. With energy savings and revenue from electricity sold back to the grid and other factors figured in, the overall savings and revenue over 25 years would amount to more than $643,000. Riseling also said that the system would be good for the environment, in that it would displace 42 tons of CO2 emissions annually.

Babicz also received support from others who have some familiarity with renewable energy. Legislator Ron Hiatt, chairman of the Sullivan County Energy Conservation and Generation Commission, told the board that with this proposal the town could “become a model not just for the county but for the region.” He said that county officials were envious of the town’s position because it would enable them to adopt a system with no cost to the town and thus no payback period.

Another supporter was Kohlertown resident Glenn Pontier, who has experience developing solar-powered streetlights with several organizations through his position as project manager with Sullivan Renaissance. Pontier said that while moving into solar required a certain amount of dedication on the part of the board, ultimately many municipalities will be installing such systems. He said, “You can wait 10 years and buy it or you can be on the cutting edge.”

The technology involved in the project is new to most board members and to others in the community, and there is an obvious desire to learn more about it before rushing into such a large undertaking.

When the board discussed the resolution to move the process forward, councilman David Kuebler said it might be prudent to put off a decision until board members have time to visit an existing solar facility in the Town of Rosendale in Ulster County. But Babicz and residents argued that it would be best to get in line for the NYSERDA funds as soon as possible because funding for the agency for next year is not yet in place, and with the shaky economic situation in the state and country, it’s not certain that such projects will continue to receive such robust levels of funding.

When the board voted to move forward with the RFP, the crowd of approximately 40 residents broke into applause.