From: NYSERDA, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority
April 16, 2021
Against the Odds, Communities Maintain Commitment to A Brighter Future
In the 12 months since the coronavirus became known, communities across New York State have faced many challenges. It has been a long time coming, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
A bright spot throughout this period: communities statewide highlighted their resiliency and unwavering commitment to a more sustainable and hopeful future for all residents. Just a few (of hundreds) of examples:
Last April, as the pandemic hit its first peak throughout the state, the village of West Winfield in Herkimer County became the 300th municipality in the state to become a registered Climate Smart Community, with its unwavering commitment to “reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to a changing climate,” preparing its community for a more resilient future in more ways than one.
In September, Westchester County was front and center in achieving a statewide milestone with the completion of the first community solar paired with energy storage project in the state. The project reduces energy costs for about 150 households in Westchester County and New York City and provides power to 12 Tesla electric vehicle supercharging stations, increasing access and convenience for current EV drivers while simultaneously helping to spur further EV adoption.
In November, amidst yet another wave of the pandemic, Yates County achieved the Clean Energy Community designation after completing four “high impact” clean energy actions highlighting its commitment to reducing energy costs and carbon emissions, including: installing an electric vehicle charging station at the Penn Yan Public Library, benchmarking building utilities on the ENERGY STAR® website, energy code enforcement training and adopting the Energize N.Y. Finance program.
This is just a small peek at some of the incredible achievements communities statewide have made in the last 12 months. We look forward to highlighting even more of the inspiring, dedicated work being done throughout New York this year as we continue our progress toward making a clean energy future a reality for all, no matter the obstacles we face.
See the full list of 607 communities participating in the Clean Energy Communities program and the actions they are taking to ensure a more sustainable and healthy community.