CS Energy and CVE North America have broken ground on a 22 MW portfolio of four community solar projects in western New York. CVE developed these projects, all of which will use Solar FlexRack solar trackers. These projects will bring the total amount of solar energy projects completed between CS Energy and CVE to more than 50 MW. All four projects will provide discounted electricity bills for more than 4,000 low-to-middle income (LMI) residents and are expected to reach completion by Q4 of 2023.
“We chose CS Energy for this set of projects due to our strong alignment in terms of transparency, integrity and efficiency,” said Ben Dereume, technical director of CVE North America. “CS Energy provided exceptional customer service on the last seven projects we completed together in Massachusetts, from value engineering to overcoming supply chain constraints to assisting with permit and town requests.”
All four of these projects will contribute to New York state maintaining its position among the leading community solar markets in the United States. On average, community solar projects in New York have been found to provide a 5 to 10% discount on energy bills for local residents, which is particularly important given that this 22 MW portfolio will benefit thousands of LMI residents. These projects also reflect the growing trend of community solar throughout the nation, with Wood Mackenzie predicting that community solar capacity in the United States will double by 2027.
“We are grateful to have the opportunity to apply our expertise in site optimization, strategic procurement and efficient execution of high-quality solar projects for such an impactful set of community solar projects,” said Lance Dunning, VP of business development at CS Energy. “We look forward to building upon our five-year long partnership with CVE to help supply more affordable clean, renewable energy that can be consumed locally by residents.”
In addition to providing savings to local residents in Western New York, this portfolio of projects will also contribute to the state’s goal to generate 70% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and the governor’s goal to achieve 10 GW of solar by 2030. In total, these projects will also have the effect of avoiding greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 192,330 miles driven by gasoline-powered cars per year.
— Solar Builder magazine
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