Archive: Around Town

Solar Tompkins launched a program Wednesday that aims to double the solar-generated electric power capacity installed on homes and small businesses in the county by increasing the affordability and accessibility of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. The group, a non-profit community organization, is led by a board of local volunteers with the guidance of a full-time Program Director.

Melissa Kemp, Solar Tompkins’ Program Director says, “Solar has never been so affordable, and it is now available in several easy ways including options with no upfront investment. It’s amazing”, she continued, “You can make the switch to clean, reliable electricity and often pay the same or less than you are paying today.”

This short-term, group-purchase campaign to make solar PV systems even more affordable, is set to leave the local and regional solar panel market with a permanently increased annual rate of solar power adoption.

The Solar Tompkins committee has competitively selected three installer partners: Astrum Solar, Renovus Energy, and Taitem Engineering/ETM Solar Works. They will implement the installations of solar PV systems for the program.

Enrollment, available to all Tompkins County home and business owners, will be open only through July 31, 2014. Solar Tompkins will be hosting community solar education workshops twice in every town in Tompkins County as well as the City of Ithaca during June and July 2014 for people to learn about solar and see what the program has to offer. These educational events, led by Solar Tompkins, will focus on all-you-need-to-know-made-easy introductions to the technology. The three installer partners will be at each meeting to share details of their offerings and answer questions. Interested home and small business owners can enroll in the Solar Tompkins program by attending a free community workshop or through the program website.

Solar energy is currently powering over 300 Tompkins County homes. Solar prices have decreased tremendously over the past several years, dropping over 70% in 2012 and 2013. The program’s goals are to both double the number of solar PV systems here in Tompkins County by installing 300 new systems in the next year with a capacity totaling over 2 MW and to increase the annual rate of solar adoption going forward.

"The residents of Tompkins County are fortunate to have the opportunity to participate, at an incredible discount, in the energy economy of the future," said Carol Chock, Tompkins County Legislator and Chair of the Planning, Energy, and Environmental Quality Committee. “I urge them to explore and take advantage of it.”

"Solar Tompkins is an exciting program that fits very well with Tompkins County’s goals and priorities,” said Katie Borgella, Principal Planner with the Tompkins County Planning Department. “Specifically, Solar Tompkins supports policies stated in the Tompkins County Comprehensive Plan and in the Cleaner Greener Southern Tier Regional Sustainability Plan to reduce community greenhouse gas emissions by 80% from 2008 levels by 2050, and to facilitate and encourage the development of local renewable energy sources and technologies, especially solar,” she continued.

Solar Tompkins draws inspiration from the large and growing number of successful 'Solarize' programs across the country, and will be the second program in Tompkins County to use these techniques. Last year's Solarize Tompkins SE Program in the towns of Caroline, Danby, and Dryden was hugely successful, resulting in more than 100 residents signing contracts to have solar installed on their homes, with those installations expected to be completed this summer. This new program will build on that momentum.

Supporting organizations include the Park Foundation, Tompkins County, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, and Sustainable Tompkins.

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