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The Harrietstown Business Park sign can be seen here on Tuesday. (Corporate photo — Sidney Emerson)
CLEAR LAKE — A solar energy company is interested in investigating the possibility of installing a solar array at the Harrietstown Business Park near the Clear Lake Municipal Airport. The town council is soliciting public comments on the draft plan at its regular meeting on February 15th.
It’s a long process to see if this type of project is viable, but in the meantime, Connecticut-based Lodestar Energy has been working on it for several years until a study is conducted to determine if it’s possible there. We are proposing to lease the land. There is also an option to install an array there if feasibility is confirmed.
Harrietstown Supervisor Jordanna Marach introduced the idea at last month’s board meeting. Council members were excited about the possibilities. They have been trying to attract businesses to the business park for years and have open space there. Roadster has not yet sought to build a solar array, but is seeking a yearly lease to begin investigating the project.
Malak said the town would still get paid whether there was an array or not. If the plan is viable, a solar array could be installed in the town’s business park. Otherwise, she said, “No harm, no foul.”
“There’s a lot,” said Lodestar Development Associate Elias Abbasi. “go” or “no Trespassing” A moment of preparation. He said failure rates are high in the beginning because problems arise and possibilities narrow.
“That’s too much of a ‘don’t get your hopes up’ kind of thing.” He said.
However, he said the Harrietstown property passed the following criteria: “Desktop Review” it’s a kind of “Individual” In his experience. This desk review confirms whether the solar farm can connect to the local power grid and examines infrastructure capacity, i.e. proximity to feeders and substations that can handle the extra load. . Mr. Abbasi said these needs are being met.
Abbasi said working with the town is “Dream Landlord Situation” And I can tell you they were communicative and friendly throughout the process.
Malak said there were still many questions and he did not want to proceed further until more information was known.
She said Lodestar wants community support for the project. Councilor Jeremy Evans said this would also change the vision for the business park and he was interested in hearing what the community thought about this.
Roadster representatives will attend a Feb. 15 meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. in the basement of Harrietstown Town Hall. To join via Zoom, visit tinyurl.com/mr489746 or use meeting ID 849 5204 3140 and passcode 313222.
“Since I joined the board, we’ve been trying to establish a business park and do something with it.” Malak said. “We just couldn’t find the right industry.”
Part of that is because the task of attracting tenants to the park, like other duties, is divided across town staff and officials, she said. Malak said the town does not have a community development director dedicated to the effort.
For the past few years, she has been contacting solar companies through the Adirondack North Country Association’s Clean Energy Conference to pitch the idea. She said she has been told by most companies that they feel the sector is too small and unprofitable for their businesses. But she said Lodestar representatives told her they believed it was beneficial to their business model. The company also has a presence in New York, with projects completed in Western New York and projects underway in Ticonderoga.
Harrietstown already has one solar array. It’s the 10-acre Saranac Lake Community Solar Farm, operated by RER Energy Group and opened three years ago, on State Route 86 past Colby Lake. At the time, it was the first community solar project of this size in the Adirondacks. The energy harvested there is sent to the grid, but residential and commercial customers can subscribe to solar service each month and use the electricity credits generated on the farm as part of their National Grid electricity bill. Save 10% with no subscription fee. The Adirondack Medical Center is located less than a mile from the farm and receives much of the energy produced there.
The solar array, which could be installed at the Harrietstown business park, would cover a total of 25 acres, including all 20 acres of the first phase of the business park and five acres of the second phase. This will block access to parts of the second period, but Lodestar is proposing. His two arrays with new roads will allow others to access the rest of the property.
Malak said the town attorney is currently reviewing the plan.
This could be a community solar project and the anchor client would need to buy into it.
“Can we use this at the airport?” Evans asked, adding it would reduce the airport’s carbon footprint and the nearby Birch Park Community housing development.
“I don’t know much about solar power.” Councilman Johnny Williams said. “We know this is one of the few viable alternatives to fossil fuels, which is exciting.”
He would like to know more about the potential environmental impacts of installing a solar array there, but said he doesn’t believe there is a better use for the land and suggests I was interested in it overall.
Malak said the solar array does not require sewer or water connections, and there are no sewer connections on site. He also said the solar farm won’t disturb the soil, which is a good thing because there is potential for PFAS contamination from the adjacent Adirondack Regional Airport.
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Another question about potential projects is how they will affect nearby residents. There isn’t much in the outlying area, but the main tenant of the town’s business park, Bionique Testing Laboratories, is nearby. The institute recently received approval from the Adirondack Park Authority for a major expansion of its grounds.
City Council member Tracy Schroeder said the institute is focused on air quality and the solar project won’t have a significant impact.
Bionique business manager Doug Crowell, who attends town board meetings, said the institute has “The electricity bill is really high.” And he said he thinks solar farms will be good neighbors. But he added that Bionique needs to be able to expand further to remain viable in the future and is concerned about being acquired. “Located inland” The lab currently occupies five acres in the park, and plans to expand to fill that space.
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Williams asked if the solar panels would cause problems for planes taking off from the Adirondack Regional Airport and flying over the property. Adirondack Regional Airport Manager Corey Harwich said the project would require a Federal Aviation Administration study, and Malak said Lodestar would pay for it.
Harwich said the location is close to the approach of Runway 27, but the runway will be decommissioned in the future.
Malak said solar panels near the airport will need anti-reflective coatings to reduce glare, and Roadster’s engineers are already aware of that.
“It’s like, win, win, win, win.” Harwich said.
Malak wondered if Roadster’s engineers understood what it would take to build in the Adirondack Park. The project manager works at the Open Space Institute and she understands APA, she said.
Malak was impressed with the amount of research Lodestar did, including looking at the costs involved, recognizing the need for a court near the airport, and understanding the collaboration with APA. She was surprised that they had already done their homework on the project and were already aware of and accounted for many of the potential hangups.
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