Hecate Energy - Shepherd's Run Solar Farm

Shepherd's Run Solar Farm will be a good neighbor -- supplying clean, affordable, renewable power and an array of benefits for the community, including tax revenue for local governments and schools, support for first responders and the library, employment opportunities and commercial activity for local businesses.

Tax Revenue for Local Government & Schools

Project will provide socioeconomic benefits to the local community where it is proposed to be located. The Project will support the local economy by providing consistent revenues to local tax bases through a PILOT agreement, temporary and permanent employment during construction and operation, and support for small and local businesses through the purchase of local goods and supplies.

Support for First Responders

The solar facility will create a new revenue stream for community services. Supporting the local fire department and ambulance company with added resources, while making minimal use of their services. Providing specialize training on emergencies that might occur at the solar farm in order to effectively protect first responders and the community.

Employment Opportunities

Jobs will be created during the permitting and construction phase. Local businesses and workers will be contracted for engineering, surveying, site preparation and construction. Long-term local jobs will also be created for operation and maintenance of the solar farm.

Clean Energy

The Project will significantly contribute to the State’s clean energy and carbon reduction goals and provide direct environmental and socioeconomic benefits to the local economy. The Project is a zero-emission, renewable source of energy that will assist the State in meeting the goals of both the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) and State Energy Plan, which include obtaining 70% of the state’s energy consumption from renewable sources by 2030, and 100% of the state’s energy from clean sources by 2040. The approximately 42 MW capacity of the Project is equivalent to approximately 56,546 tons of avoided carbon dioxide emissions per year, or the equivalent of removing more than 12,500 cars from the road. The Project is capable of safely supplying approximately 70,865 megawatt-hours (MWh) of renewable electricity per year to power nearly 10,000 average New York households. These carbon reduction benefits will contribute to achievement of the public health and economic goals of the CLCPA and provide benefits to consumers through the additional supply of clean, renewable electricity onto the state’s electric grid.

Affordable Electricity

The project will also participate in the New York State Public Service Commission’s Host Community Benefit Program to provide residents of the Town of Copake that are electric customers of the local utility with utility bill savings. Under the Host Community Benefit Program, the project will pay an annual program fee in the amount of $500 per MW of capacity for the first ten years that the Project is in operation. The fee will be distributed equally among all residential utility customers residing in the Town of Copake as a credit on their electric utility bills. Accordingly, residential utility customers will receive ten annual bill credits beginning in the first calendar year following when the Project becomes operational.

Sustaining Local Agriculture