Alternative energy is a phrase you may hear a lot, but now you may be seeing it a lot in your rural communities; especially in the form of community solar projects.

What You Need To Know

  • Farm land is Clay is being re-purposed for community solar projects

  • One 32 acre solar site could power up to 1,000 homes

  • NextEra Energy plans for the site to be operational by March 2021

Farmers and landowners in the Town of Clay are shifting gears from supplying crops to supplying energy. On Verplank Road, you can see a solar farm popping up ready to do just that.

"They're still being taxed on that property. So, it's not surprising that they're looking for alternatives. And simultaneously, the solar industry across the country and New York has become a very big business," said Town of Clay Supervisor Damian Ulatowski.

NextEra Energy, the new owners of the land on Verplank Road, is transitioning 32 acres of former agriculture land into a solar farm that will supply 5.0 megawatts of energy. Experts say that could provide energy for up to 1,000 homes.

"The power generated by the solar facility will get transferred to the grid, which makes it available to anyone, I suppose, that's on the grid,” said Ulatowski.

Community Solar projects like these make solar power attainable for homeowners that can't or don't want to put solar panels on their property. A project like NextEra Energy's solar farm in Clay, which is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2021, provides one alternative.

"To support the Governor's initiative to look to alternative energy resources in the coming years, and at the same time offer residents options for where their electrical needs are coming from,” said Ulatowski.