“The 21st Century Economy is carrying some mixed blessings for Margaret Jones. She’s among a handful of people who operate Airbnbs in this Greene County community south of Albany.
State and local promotions have led to an uptick in visitors to the area, and her weekends are often booked solid.
But now she and others fear that two industrial-size solar projects proposed for the area could hurt tourism as well as detract from the value of nearby homes.
So she and others have started a group, Saving Greene, in opposition to the proposals. Developers are looking at a total of 2,500 acres for new solar farms, including one of 100 megawatts and another with 50 megawatts.
Forty five miles away, west of Schenectady on the other side of the Capital Region, Lynne Bruning is fighting a similar battle. She’s filed an Article 78 proceeding, or precursor to a lawsuit, against the Duanesburg planning board, solar developer Eden Renewables and landowner Richard Murray, contending the board erred in approving a five-megawatt, 140-acre solar farm planned next to the home, barns and acreage that she and her mother, Susan Biggs, own.
Duanesburg has since instituted a six-month moratorium on new projects.
Solar farms of all sizes are booming in parts of upstate New York. Sparked by a nationwide push for renewable or carbon-free electricity and hastened by a new state law, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act that lays out goals and timelines for getting there, developers are flooding into upstate.
According to the New York State Independent System Operator, which oversee the state’s vast electric grid, there are more than 110 projects representing more than 10,000 megawatts of capacity.”
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Karlin, Rick. Albany Times Union 25 January 2020.