By Kelsey O'Connor, The Ithaca Voice:
May 18, 2017
Solar energy has hit the mainstream and Go Solar is throwing a party! The organizers of the Go Solar program are celebrating how far Tompkins County residents and businesses have come in adopting solar—and making the process as easy as possible for those who haven’t yet.
Everyone’s invited to Cass Park this Sunday, May 21st, where, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County and its partners in the Go Solar program will have displays, activities, the Pi Truck—the world's first solar- and wind-powered pizza truck—serving some of the area’s best wood-fired-oven pizza, plus free Purity ice cream and music. Partner installers will be on-hand to talk about what they can offer, which includes free site assessments and discounts of more than 10% for program participants. And if you already have solar, organizers are asking you to bring a photo of your array along with a friend, neighbor—anyone—who doesn’t have solar for a chance to win a prize.
“This community has come a long way in supporting solar energy,” says Program Coordinator Guillermo Metz, who leads the Energy Team at CCETC, “and we want to congratulate everyone who’s been part of that clean energy transition. And for everyone who wants to learn more, we’ll have all the information they need to realize how great—and easy—making the switch to solar can be.”
Like the hugely successful Solar Tompkins program before it, Go Solar has been conducting community events since March. These have included both formal presentations and meet-and-greet events where residents can learn about the various options for getting solar energy, including new options that make it possible for people who don’t own their homes, live in apartments, or whose homes are too shaded for solar on-site to get solar.
“There really are options available for just about everyone,” says Metz. “Because of that and the affordability of solar today, nearly everyone can save money while making the transition to clean, renewable energy.”
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Over the past 10 years, there have been more than 1100 total projects installed in the county, with a nameplate capacity of nearly 16.4MW, producing an estimated 18,180.5MWh of electricity annually—and creating a vibrant, fast-growing business sector. Thanks in large part to community solar, there are more than 85MW of additional solar currently in the pipeline across Tompkins County. If approved, this represents an estimated annual production of about 118,136MWh of electricity—enough to power about 12,000 homes.
The Solar Celebration is free and everyone is welcome. For more information, as well as resources available to learn more about making the switch to solar power today, visit Go Solar’s website, www.GoSolarTompkins.org, or Facebook page, www.facebook.com/gosolartompkinscounty, or call Guillermo Metz at 607-272-2292.
Go Solar is part of RenewableNY's effort to help New York State transition to a clean energy future. RenewableNY is a partnership including Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County and Catskill Mountainkeeper, and is supported by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) under Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's NY-Sun initiative and Community Solar.
Featured image: Solar panels in Schuyler County. (Photo courtesy of Renovus' Facebook page)
Full link here: https://ithacavoice.com/2017/05/interested-solar-power-check-solar-celebration-cass-park-weekend/
