The time to act on solar is now

To the editor:

I was raised with the philosophy that “where there’s a will there’s a way.” It is clear that the Town of Callicoon board members don’t have the will to go forward with the solar project for the town hall and town barn proposed by supervisor Linda Babicz. There is nothing in this project that is insurmountable, given the will to make the project work. It is unfortunate that the board members don’t wish to go forward while the grant money from assemblywoman Aileen Gunther’s office and the incentives from NYSERDA are still in place. The real losers here are the residents and taxpayers of the Town of Callicoon.

Rejecting solar a mistake

To the editor:

I am dismayed and disappointed with the Town of Callicoon Town Board.

Certainly the council members of the Town of Callicoon board are out of touch with the reality of what is happening in today’s world. The world has reached the peak of our energy crisis. The economic welfare of the taxpayers of the town should be at the forefront of their concerns in making decisions. To reject the opportunity to have a free solar electric system installed is unwise and out of touch with the directions being led throughout the world. A grid-connected solar system of this size is extremely efficient, it not only guarantees free electricity for operations at the town hall and town barn, but may also generate surplus grid-connected electricity for additional revenue for the town.

The board needs more education on this matter and should reconsider their decision.

Solar power: a good public investment

To the editor:

The Town of Callicoon recently—and, I hope, only temporarily—rejected bids for the installation of a solar system on the town hall and town garage. As it is, the town is out $2,000 or so on writing up and advertising a proposal, and stands to lose about $380,000 in state funding for the project if it doesn’t go through with it.

I live in Callicoon Center and, a year and a half ago, installed on my house a small solar system, sufficient for supplying all its electricity plus the capped overage of 10 percent that we’re allowed to sell back to NYSEG.

The system, installed by GroSolar, works like a charm. It delivers electricity as promised. Snow accumulating on the panels very quickly slides off (the panels’ pitch plus the tiny amount of surface heat they generate does it), leaving them more or less constantly receptive to the sun. And the panels, which are guaranteed for 25 years, will withstand baseball-size hailstones impacting at speeds up to 60 mph. The system was projected to pay for itself in about 10 years at then-current prices of electricity; with changes in electricity rates, complete amortization should take only about eight years. Moreover, after the system was installed, my wife and I decided to use our free electricity to help heat the house and, over the last year, reduced our fuel oil consumption by one-third.

Re the opinion voiced at a recent Town Council meeting that solar technology is likely to get a lot cheaper in the future, so why spend money now: As I understand it, the $125,000 state grant is a one-time offer, and the NYSERDA funding of almost $250,000 is not guaranteed for much longer. Besides, as the old saying goes, “The perfect should not be the enemy of the good.” And solar power is, right now, a very good public investment. The Town of Callicoon would not only be foolish in the extreme to pass it up, but would be imposing, down the road, a needless and unfair burden on the town’s beleaguered taxpayers.