Solar Farm Considered for West Patent Elementary School
The Bedford Board of Education is weighing the installation of a solar farm on 30 vacant acres behind West Patent Elementary School that would net the district an average of about $500,000 annually.
District officials have been in discussions with Brightcore Energy LLC of Armonk to install solar panels that would generate 8.6 million kilowatt hours of energy, enough to power about 1,000 homes. In exchange, the district would reap $13 million during the 25-year contract for use of its property without having to lay out any money.
“There’s obviously a significant financial opportunity for the district, $13 million, zero investment, zero commitment to buy electricity,” said Rob Krugel, the Co-CEO of Brightcore Energy. “It’s really just a one-way flow of dollars, and similarly…it’s an opportunity for residents to receive a 10 percent discount on their electricity bills.”
Carports with solar panels on the roofs are also being considered for the parking lots at West Patent and Mount Kisco elementary schools as long as that portion of the project is feasible for those locations, said Brightcore’s Co-CEO Konstantin Braun. That would also include installation of LED lighting and electric vehicle charging stations at those sites.
Carports are increasingly being construct over public parking as a way to create additional places to install solar panels while also protecting cars and drivers from rain and snow and heat in the summer.
However, the overwhelming piece of the solar project and the payments would be for the solar array behind West Patent, Braun said.
Projects such as the one being proposed have been gaining momentum since the state passed legislation in 2019 to address climate change, sustainability and clean energy, Krugel said. That legislation provided incentives to utilities, including Con Edison, to ramp up clean energy projects with the goal of having New York run on 100 percent renewables by 2040, he said.
However, there are time constraints for the district since utilities have been able to come to agreements with various entities to install solar panels. Krugel said Con Edison has already committed 85 percent of its solar allotment to other projects in its territory.
It would likely take several months to receive the go-ahead from various agencies, including the state Education Department and the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Braun said. Once all approvals are in place, construction would take about six months, he said. The project would not be subject to local municipal approvals.
Braun said the company would work with the district to make sure there is no disturbance to the students, including arrivals and dismissals, and would not interfere with fields that the district needs for its students. There would also be buffers to shield the work from residential properties.
“We will absolutely work to minimize any type of disruption to what is happening at the school,” Braun said. “We will definitely plan on doing as much as we can during summer months. We understand that this is important.”
For nearly a decade since the company was established, Brightcore has worked extensively with area school districts on various energy efficiency projects such as solar, geothermal systems, energy storage, LED lighting and car charging stations.
Board of Education members reacted favorably to the proposal recognizing that the extra revenue that would be derived is critical, especially with uncertainty surrounding finances and state aid.
However, the board also wanted to make sure that the district’s property and its students and staff are protected, including Brightcore to complete its due diligence process before committing. John Boucher said the district must effectively communicate with the West Patent community what it is considering.
“I think it’s important the community has the right to review all of that and have input,” Boucher said.
Vice President Edward Reder added that he would like to have residents who have questions or want to learn more about the project be able to walk the West Patent property to help them form an opinion.
Board member Beth Staropoli said her colleagues also have to consider how $13 million can help the district when finances are constrained.
“Now we have a possibility of over half a million (dollars) in revenue year in and year out for 25 years, and I look at that as what programs could be added to our district as such and how that could benefit our students,” she said. “So I don’t want to lose sight of that either.”
Brightcore would also help students learn about solar energy by installing a monitor inside the schools that would show how much energy is being derived by the project.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/