Solar Farms in the Adirondack Park? Absolutely.

In a recent issue of the Adirondack Explorer, an article by Gwendolyn Craig asked the question: “Should the Adirondack Park be used for large solar projects?”.  Of all the views presented in the article, former Governor George Pataki’s was the most disturbing.  He was quoted as saying “It is utterly inappropriate in the Adirondack Park”. I hope he reconsiders.  Clean, renewable energy belongs anywhere energy is consumed.  That doesn’t mean renewable energy projects should be recklessly sited and they certainly don’t belong and can’t be sited in the Forest Preserve.  But 56%, or 3.6 million acres of the Adirondack Park is privately owned and development on most of that land is subject to review by the Adirondack Park Agency (APA).  The holy grail in this grand experiment called the Adirondack Park is sustainability and generating clean energy that does not pollute the air and generate climate warming greenhouse gases, reduces energy bills and keeps our energy dollars from going to other countries and states, must be part of the picture.

Let me give you a couple of recent examples of solar projects that help make the point.  While not a large-scale project, the 2-megawatt (MW) Saranac Community Solar array was completed earlier this year on the outskirts of Saranac Lake.  The project occupies about 10 acres of land, consists of 5,424 solar panels, and will generate enough electricity for about 200 homes and businesses, with 40% of the generation devoted to Adirondack Health, the community’s largest employer.  The project will displace nearly 1,700 tons of CO2, lower subscribers’ energy bills, and attract pollinators (bees and hummingbirds) to the wildflowers planted underneath the panels.  And here’s the kicker: the site was targeted by Walmart for a superstore.  I have nothing against Walmart (well, actually I do but that’s another topic), but what would you rather see (barely) outside of the Village of Saranac Lake, a community solar array or a gigantic Walmart?

The next example is a large-scale solar project in the Town of Ticonderoga, just approved by the APA at its October meeting.  The 20 MW project will include 46,000 ground-mounted solar panels that will pivot to track the sun to improve their efficiency.  The solar array has been sensitively sited adjacent to Route 9N: the site is flat and very little tree cutting will be involved; it largely avoids wetlands; it will be screened by native vegetation; it will allow wildlife to pass underneath the fencing; electrical cabling will be buried; and transmission lines will be buried underneath a small wetland to avoid impacts.  And since a portion of the site was an orchard and is lightly contaminated, it is unlikely that it would ever be put to some other productive, tax producing use.  It doesn’t get much better than this folks.  And that’s why the Town and residents overwhelmingly support the project, which will contribute $2,000/MW in payments in lieu of taxes or about $40,000 to the local coffers (with a 2%/year escalator).  

So, the answer to the Explorer’s question is a resounding “Yes”, solar projects do belong in the Park, if properly designed and sited in a way that’s respectful and consistent with the Adirondack Park’s special status.  The APA can help in this regard, but that’s a topic for another day.

Joe Martens is a resident of the Adirondacks, former Commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and former Director of the New York Offshore Wind Alliance.