Yorktown Enters Solar Power Agreement that Offsets 70% of Electricity Use

12/07/20 - On Friday Yorktown Supervisor Matt Slater signed an energy credit purchase agreement with Lodestar Energy that will offset municipal electricity bills, saving the town an estimated $25,000 a year, while directly spurring more solar energy production.  

Lodestar has installed a solar panel array in Nichols, N.Y. and it is expected to go live on Dec. 23. The solar panels are located on fallow farmland and they are expected to produce 2.7 million kilowatt hours of electricity in the first operating year.

“This agreement puts Yorktown at the vanguard of carbon neutrality in Westchester County and it shows our community’s commitment to the environment and concern for climate change,” said Supervisor Matt Slater. “This agreement isn’t an isolated gesture; we are transforming Yorktown. Just this week we saw Arcadia Farm activate its solar panel array, which will provide power to 40 local homes.”

Yorktown’s recent efforts to promote solar power include:

• The November approval of the installation of a solar panel array in the parking lot of the Granite Knolls Sports Complex.
• The September adoption of new laws regulating solar panel arrays and solar power storage devices.
• The August agreement with Sustainable Westchester to educate residents about vetted solar-power enrollment opportunities.

The Lodestar agreement is another outcome of Yorktown’s growing partnership with Sustainable Westchester.  Residents, houses of worship and qualifying businesses have been offered a unique opportunity to participate in community solar which provides similar benefits to individual homeowners.

Nina Orville, Director of Solar Programs at Sustainable Westchester said, “We’re so pleased to partner with the Town of Yorktown to bring the benefits of clean solar power to residents, and now to the Town itself. Yorktown has clearly demonstrated its commitment to accelerating the transition to renewable energy through all its recent actions and we applaud the Town for its leadership.”

Lodestar Energy is an Avon, Conn. based power company with solar projects throughout the Northeast. Its municipal clients include the City of Haverhill and the Town of Carver, both in Massachusetts. Founded in 2014, the company has successfully developed and financed 30 solar projects valued at more than $200 million, according to its website.