Thursday, April 25, 2024 | St. Lawrence County, NY
By JIMMY LAWTON OGDENSBURG -- A consortium project led by Jefferson-Lewis County BOCES could help Ogdensburg generate more than 90 percent of its municipal power with solar panels saving millions of …
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By JIMMY LAWTON
OGDENSBURG -- A consortium project led by Jefferson-Lewis County BOCES could help Ogdensburg generate more than 90 percent of its municipal power with solar panels saving millions of dollars over the next 25 years.
Ogdensburg recently agreed to participate in a solar project that would allow the city produce up to 2.2 MW of power with solar panels.
A separate solar project that should be up a running October will produce 1.1 to 1.2 MW of solar power.
Ogdensburg City manager John Pinkerton says the city’s total usage is 3.7 projects and if things go well the city could be producing 3.4 MW of that power with solar panels.
Although the consortium only recently finalized it’s membership and executive committee, Pinkerton said he believes the projects could be completed in fall of 2016.
The consortium includes 30 to 40 municipalities and school districts spanning Jefferson, St. Lawrence and Lewis Counties. Ogdensburg School District is also part of the consortium.
The goal is to produce a total of 60-70 MW a power, which should be enough to significantly cut costs for all entities involved.
Under the consortium plan, multiple solar farms capable of producing a maximum of 2.2 MW each would generate the power.
Pinkerton says the municipalities and schools would be responsible for providing the land for the farms. And Pinkerton says Ogdensburg has the space.
The consortium held its first meeting Monday. The stakeholders will review a proposal of up to nine suppliers that could provide the solar farms.
Although no prices have been negotiated the savings could be substantial for Ogdensburg.
A separate solar power project is expected to save the city $45,000 per year over the next quarter century.
The 1.1-1.2 MW solar project will cover 8 acres of land is capable of producing 1.4 million kwh of electricity per year.
A total savings is estimated at more than $1 million over the 25-year period and could be as high as $2 million depending on electricity prices. That amount could likely be tripled if the consortium project is successful.
