Published: Monday, February 22, 2010
By Patricia Doxsey, Freeman staff
PORT EWEN — When Esopus town officials flip on a light switch, turn up the heat, or run the hot water in Town Hall, they might feel inclined to sing a little chorus of the Beatles tune “Here Comes the Sun.”
More than one-half of the electrical needs of the new Town Hall building is now being generated through the power of the sun, from a solar energy farm located on a quarter acre of the 22-acre Town Hall property.
Town Supervisor John Coutant said officials flipped the switch on the solar power this month.
“It’s a pleasure to create for the first real time savings for the taxpayers of the town of Esopus,” said Coutant. “It’s true savings of dollars right off the start.”
The solar energy system will provide up to 52 percent of the building’s electric needs and is expected to save taxpayers as much as $35,000 a year in electric costs, he said.
Installing the solar system is the latest effort by town officials to bring “green” technology into the town.
In November 2008, the town moved into its new digs at Broadway and Bowne Street. The 17,800-square-foot facility is among the most environmentally friendly town facility in the state, with nearly all of the materials used inside the building made from recycled materials. The building’s heat and hot water needs are provided through a geothermal system.
“In this small town of Esopus you have one of the most state-of-the-art buildings in New York state, said Joseph Hurwitz, the architect who designed the Town Hall. “It’s really a unique facility.”
The town was forced to construct a new building when the state Department of Transportation said the town hall building at 174 Broadway would be torn down as part of a road widening project.
The new building houses all the town offices, the town court, a community center and an Ulster County Sheriff’s Office substation.
Coutant said that while designs for the new Town Hall were being drafted, he suggested the town look at the possibility of powering the building with solar energy.
A year after the new Town Hall opened, the town began taking steps to harness the power of the sun for the town’s electrical needs.
The system, which cost just under $500,000, was paid for by state grants, so it cost town taxpayers nothing, said Coutant.
Balston Spa-based contractor Alteris Renewables installed the system, which consists of several rows of movable solar panels that will follow the sun from sunrise to sunset in order to capture as much solar power as possible.
“It’s the largest tracking solar array of any sort” in the state, said Randoph Horner, Esopus Solar Project manager.
At its peak, the solar farm will produce about 78 kilowatts of electricity, Horner said. Most of that will be produced in the spring and summer when the days are longest and the sun is closest.
Since the town’s highest demand for power will come in the fall and winter, when electricity will be needed to heat the water in the building’s geothermal heating system, the town will “store” energy credits with Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp.
Currently, Horner said, the solar farm will provide about 52 percent of the town’s annual electrical needs — the most permitted under state law. As state laws change to allow municipalities to produce more of their own electricity, the solar farm can be expanded.
In the meantime, there are a number of other opportunities to put the power of the sun to use for the taxpayers, Coutant said.
“We’re really enthusiastic about the whole thing,” he said.
Daily Freeman: Esopus Town Hall Goes Solar with Largest Ground Mount in NY
Esopus Town Hall goes solar
Published: Monday, February 22, 2010
By Patricia Doxsey, Freeman staff
PORT EWEN — When Esopus town officials flip on a light switch, turn up the heat, or run the hot water in Town Hall, they might feel inclined to sing a little chorus of the Beatles tune “Here Comes the Sun.”
More than one-half of the electrical needs of the new Town Hall building is now being generated through the power of the sun, from a solar energy farm located on a quarter acre of the 22-acre Town Hall property.
Town Supervisor John Coutant said officials flipped the switch on the solar power this month.
“It’s a pleasure to create for the first real time savings for the taxpayers of the town of Esopus,” said Coutant. “It’s true savings of dollars right off the start.”
The solar energy system will provide up to 52 percent of the building’s electric needs and is expected to save taxpayers as much as $35,000 a year in electric costs, he said.
Installing the solar system is the latest effort by town officials to bring “green” technology into the town.
In November 2008, the town moved into its new digs at Broadway and Bowne Street. The 17,800-square-foot facility is among the most environmentally friendly town facility in the state, with nearly all of the materials used inside the building made from recycled materials. The building’s heat and hot water needs are provided through a geothermal system.
“In this small town of Esopus you have one of the most state-of-the-art buildings in New York state, said Joseph Hurwitz, the architect who designed the Town Hall. “It’s really a unique facility.”
The town was forced to construct a new building when the state Department of Transportation said the town hall building at 174 Broadway would be torn down as part of a road widening project.
The new building houses all the town offices, the town court, a community center and an Ulster County Sheriff’s Office substation.
Coutant said that while designs for the new Town Hall were being drafted, he suggested the town look at the possibility of powering the building with solar energy.
A year after the new Town Hall opened, the town began taking steps to harness the power of the sun for the town’s electrical needs.
The system, which cost just under $500,000, was paid for by state grants, so it cost town taxpayers nothing, said Coutant.
Balston Spa-based contractor Alteris Renewables installed the system, which consists of several rows of movable solar panels that will follow the sun from sunrise to sunset in order to capture as much solar power as possible.
“It’s the largest tracking solar array of any sort” in the state, said Randoph Horner, Esopus Solar Project manager.
At its peak, the solar farm will produce about 78 kilowatts of electricity, Horner said. Most of that will be produced in the spring and summer when the days are longest and the sun is closest.
Since the town’s highest demand for power will come in the fall and winter, when electricity will be needed to heat the water in the building’s geothermal heating system, the town will “store” energy credits with Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp.
Currently, Horner said, the solar farm will provide about 52 percent of the town’s annual electrical needs — the most permitted under state law. As state laws change to allow municipalities to produce more of their own electricity, the solar farm can be expanded.
In the meantime, there are a number of other opportunities to put the power of the sun to use for the taxpayers, Coutant said.
“We’re really enthusiastic about the whole thing,” he said.
Read the article and see a photograph here.