The Town of Putnam Valley now leads the way in implementing our county’s first town-wide community solar program. In just one week, more than 30 households have signed up through Solarize Putnam’s special Putnam Valley link. Not only did this qualify Putnam Valley for a $5,000 NYS grant, it also resulted in a $3,000 in sign-up awards from Ampion. And that award amount continues to grow.
Town Councilman Ralph Smith, who also chairs the town’s Climate Smart Task Force, championed the program in Putnam Valley. Working closely with Joe Montuori of Sustainable Putnam, Corinna Ricard of Ampion Renewable Energy, and Eleanor Peck of the Hudson Valley Regional Council, the team’s collaborative approach enabled them to quickly complete all the steps required for a successful launch.
“Each member of our team has a certain expertise that was critical to moving this project from the drawing board to the street,” Montuori explained. “Obviously, Ralph’s knowledge and understanding of Putnam Valley, its residents, and Town government were key to moving this forward. It quite simply would not have happened without the work of Ralph and the Putnam Valley Climate Smart Task Force in championing this program.”
“Every team member brought something essential to the table. Corinna Ricard and the Ampion team have worked on similar town projects in upstate New York, including Ballston and New Lebanon. Corinna’s knowledge and experience helped us present a clear understanding to the Town Board and residents. And Eleanor Peck of the Hudson Valley Regional Council is our expert connection to NYSERDA. She’s a former Climate Smart Coordinator herself, and was instrumental in helping us complete every step of NYSERDA’s process.”
I’ve helped to plan, coordinate, and do some legwork on the application and publicity. Our team approach is what made this effort so successful. Now Sustainable Putnam will look to duplicate this success with our other towns and the county government too. The Climate Smart Task Force’s in Philipstown and Kent have already taken steps toward Town Board approval and could be our next launches.
TAKE ACTION:
- Sign up today! You do not need to wait for your town to participate. Anyone with a NYSEG or Central Hudson account can sign up in five minutes on our Solarize Putnam webpage. The sooner you register, the sooner you start saving money and decreasing your carbon footprint.
- Call or email your town councilpersons and supervisor and encourage them to enroll your town in Solarize Putnam. Tell them you want to shift your community to 100% clean, renewable energy with Solarize Putnam. Contact us at [email protected] for more info.