Earth Day 2021: Nyack’s Clean Energy Program
As we celebrate Earth Day 2021, Nyack is proud of our environmental accomplishments this year. The village’s participation in a new collaborative municipal clean energy program, Rockland Community Power, is a big part of what we achieved together this year as a community for the environment.
We want to encourage our residents and small businesses to take advantage of the clean energy option through the village’s program – and to sign up for Community Solar.
Nyack is one of six communities that have joined together in Rockland Community Power, a new collaborative municipal clean energy program. In response to climate change, New York State has set ambitious goals to transition as quickly as possible to clean energy. By 2030, the electric grid must be powered 70% by renewable energy – and 100% carbon free by 2040. The question is, how do we meet these ambitious goals – and how do we do so while protecting consumers from cost increases? One of the most important ways we transition to clean energy is through programs like Rockland Community Power, which make renewable energy more affordable.
Through this program, 20,000 Rockland households, about 20% of the county, switched this winter to 100% renewable energy at a cost that is no more than residents have paid in the past for energy based largely on fossil fuels. That’s a big deal – and it takes a big bite out of our carbon footprint as a community.
Because of their big environmental impact, programs like Rockland Community Power are encouraged by New York State climate programs as one of the highest priority actions a community can take to reduce their carbon footprint.
Over the course of the two-year program, we will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 39,247 metric tons CO2. That’s the same as 648,974 tree seedlings grown for ten years.
In addition, through our Community Solar program we are offering a way for residents and small businesses to support the development of more local renewable energy. Community Solar programs offer multiple environmental benefits: enhanced reliability and resilience and support for the local economy and local green jobs. In order to encourage the growth of these programs, NYS subsidizes these programs - and some of that support gets passed along to consumers in the form of a guaranteed discount of close to 10% on their electric bill.
By enrolling in both programs, you are maximizing your support for renewable energy and for New York’s clean energy economy. As a consumer, you are benefiting from the discount through Community Solar and the guaranteed low rates through the electric supply program.
Not yet enrolled in the Village renewable energy program or Community Solar program? To learn more or to enroll, call Rockland Community Power at 845 859-9099, Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 - or go online to www.RocklandCommunityPower.com. To speak with the Community Coordinator for the program, email Peggy@JouleCommunityPower.com.
