The Town of New Woodstock, NY will be receiving a new commercial solar installation thanks to the approval of the Town of Cazenovia Planning Board. Originally submitted by David Lucas, the 5-megawatt solar installation will serve as a community solar option to provide low-cost energy options to homeowners and small businesses.
After approval was granted at the Feb. 4 planning board meeting, TJA Clean Energy stepped in as the lead developer on the project. Based out of Massachusettes, TJA is a community solar option developer with a sizable portfolio. Since its establishment in 2012, the company has provided construction services, along with engineering and site procurement, to help enhance local community solar development.
For the site, which is expected to be built at 2405 Barrett Road in New Woodstock, TJA is leasing approximately 25 acres of a 76-acre parcel owned by David Lucas. Only just over 15 acres of that land will be used for the installation, which will be comprised of over 18,000 ground-mounted panels.
Though the installation is planned as a commercial solar facility, it will function as a community solar option for local residents and businesses. Through the installation, homeowners and small businesses will be able to subscribe to units of electricity. For their subscription, they will receive a portion of the generated energy supply. Along with no up-front cost and no long-term commitment, participants also receive a monthly credit that is applied to their utility bills.
As is customary with any community solar option, the installation is intended to help low- to middle-income households, as well as renters that are unable to install private panels on their roof.
Upon completion, the community solar option in New Woodstock will generate upwards of 9,400-megawatt-hours annually. That’s estimated to power more than 700 homes and offset 6,703 metric tons of carbon emissions each year it’s running.