CVM Electric recently won a municipal contract to build a 20 kW solar installation as part of the town of Elba’s Wastewater System Green Improvements project in Genesee County, New York.  The solar array is part of a significant upgrade to the facility that includes installing energy efficient lighting and a dissolved oxygen sensor system.  The improvements will save the town money on electric bills while reducing the village’s carbon footprint. The solar system has a design life of at least 25 years. Elba chose CVM Electric because it offered the most cost-effective and comprehensive proposal for advanced solar energy solutions combined with energy efficient lighting improvements.

Under the contract, the winning developer will install, own and operate solar panels at any or all of the following places: government buildings, public colleges and universities, public and private K-12 schools and parking lot canopies at any government or educational facility.

NYPA will sign 20-year power contracts with developers, who will sell their solar power to NYPA.  When complete, the solar installations are expected to generate enough power for 15,000 homes.

The projects will be located in five regions: western, central, northern, southeast and New York City.  More information about NYPA’s request-for-proposals can be found at www.nypasolarrfp.org and www.nypa.gov/solar/100mw.

Green and sustainable energies such as photovoltaic (PV) systems offer an array of economic and environmental advantages to citizens around the globe, but how practical and achievable are they for the average family or business in Western New York?  Installing solar panels is a long-term investment in a mature, proven technology that is highly customizable.  Each home owner can create a system that suits their needs and budget. Whether small or large, each solar electric installation gives the homeowner becomes her own electric company.  By generating her own electricity, the homeowner hedges against future increases in electricity rates while saving on present electricity bills. It is like pre-paying the electric bill for the next 20 years at a fixed price for the next twenty years.  In addition, solar panels also offer an instantaneous increase in home value, reduce ones vulnerability to power outages and require little to no maintenance.  Paying for a solar installation has never been easier due to widely available cash incentives, state and federal tax rebates and low interest home equity loans.  In fact, NYSERDA offers cash incentives reaching up to $8,750 for a 5 kilowatt residential system.  New York State also offers home owners a 25% state tax credit along with a 30% federal tax credit towards their PV system installation. Combined these mean the average homeowner pays no more than 35% of the total system cost. With the widely available financial incentives and rebates on both the state and federal level financing a PV system is more attainable than ever before.