PowerMarket to manage 3.7 MW of community solar for LMI households in Kingston, N.Y.

The city of Kingston, New York, has partnered with Mid-Hudson Energy Transition, PowerMarket and Lodestar Energy to deliver clean energy equity and utility savings to the local community.

As part of the partnership, PowerMarket will manage subscriber acquisition, billing and customer service for the Kingston Community Solar program. Low-to-moderate income (LMI) and state-designated disadvantaged community (DAC) households will have access to locally generated solar power, delivering a savings of up to 15% on electricity bills. More than 6,000 households in the Kingston — comprising 67% of the city’s total households — are eligible to participate in the program.

Kingston Community Solar is a program of Kingston Community Energy, the city’s Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) initiative. The program represents the first phase in Kingston’s comprehensive CCA strategy, leveraging the power of numbers to enable residents to participate in affordable, clean energy solutions.

Subscribers of Kingston Community Solar will connect to the upcoming Moores Hill Community Solar Project, a 3.7 MW solar farm in New Windsor, New York, being developed by PowerMarket’s partner, Lodestar Energy. Community solar credits will be applied directly to participants’ utility bills. The project is expected to be operational in 2024.

“PowerMarket is dedicated to making clean energy accessible to everyone. To that end, we have partnered with forward-thinking project developers, municipalities, and affordable housing leaders across New York state to deliver savings to LMI households via community solar subscriptions,” said Eric Dahnke, founder and CEO of PowerMarket. “We are especially excited about the Moores Hill project and our work with Lodestar to bring the benefits of clean energy to disadvantaged households in the City of Kingston.”

Kingston Community Solar and the Moores Hill Community Solar Project are representative of developments that help to further New York’s clean energy goals. New York’s Climate Act Goal has mandated that 70 percent of the state’s electricity will be generated from renewable sources by 2030. 

“Delivering the benefits of clean energy to underserved households in the community is part of our DNA and we are excited to be partnering with PowerMarket and the City of Kingston on this important project,” said Jaime A. Smith, cofounder of Lodestar Energy. “Moores Hill will be an important addition to Lodestar’s portfolio of over 40 solar farms which generate more than 100 MW of clean, renewable energy, and power more than 36,000 homes.” 

PowerMarket will work with Mid-Hudson Energy Transition (MHET), a Kingston-based non-profit organization who is serving as the city’s CCA Administrator, to oversee community outreach, manage the enrollment process, and handle program administration. PowerMarket is hosting a dedicated Kingston Community Solar website that allows residents to learn more and enroll online.

“We are so grateful for our partnership with PowerMarket. Their technology seamlessly handles the complexities of billing and credit distribution, allowing us to focus on our core mission: empowering local communities and driving equitable access to clean and healthy energy resources in the Hudson Valley,” said Jasmine Graham, executive director of Mid-Hudson Energy Transition.

— Solar Builder magazine

[source: https://solarbuildermag.com/projects/powermarket-to-manage-community-solar-in-kingston-n-y/]