Two providers in Albany – St. Peter’s Health Partners and the Center for Disability Services – will now power their campuses with solar through a state-backed initiative. State officials say the project will save both facilities $50,000 annually.
New York will provide $2 million for a 21-acre solar project, which will contain about 16,000 solar panels, and will be located on vacant land in the Town of Greenport, Columbia County. The solar-generated power will offset about 10 percent of power consumed by St. Peter’s Health Partners’ St. Peter’s Hospital and the Center for Disability Services.
The 5.3-megawatt project will provide the same amount of power each year as would be needed for 850 average-sized homes and will reduce greenhouse gasses by almost 2,000 tons annually, equivalent to taking about 375 cars off the road.
Construction has begun, and the system is expected to be operating in August 2016.
Total investment in the project is approximately $12 million, including $2 million from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority through NY-Sun, a $1 billion initiative to advance the scale-up of solar and move the state closer to a sustainable, self-sufficient solar industry.
The new solar initiative is one of several projects at St. Peter’s Health Partners aimed at boosting sustainability and reducing the organization’s impact on the environment. Other projects include using solar energy to heat domestic hot water, using bio-based and certified green cleaning materials, and serving sustainable seafood and locally grown produce whenever possible. Looking ahead, St. Peter’s Health Partners plans to refine its waste stream processes and expand its recycling programs.
St Peter’s Hospital is a not-for-profit community tertiary hospital with 442 beds, more than 900 staff physicians, and nearly 6,000 employees. The Center for Disability Services is a non-profit health and human services organization that provides programs and services for over 12,000 individuals of all ages with disabilities and chronic medical conditions, and employs 2,700 staff.
