POTSDAM, New York (WWNY) – When it comes to renewable energy and financial incentives, New York state treats hydro plants differently from solar and wind farms.
There’s now a push to change that.
Producing power through water. A hydro plant in Potsdam is one of 96 in a 14-county area of the Adirondacks and the north country.
With this facility, local people can sign up and benefit from the power made there.
It’s a program with the company Northern Power & Light.
“We know that we need more renewable in our mix. We know that we need more sustainable practices and hydropower is, you know, our regional hometown local energy source,” said CEO Emmett Smith.
Smith says although the state recognizes hydropower as renewable energy, it doesn’t offer the same incentives that it offers for other renewables like solar and wind.
For example, people can sign up to get power from a local solar farm and that solar farm company qualifies for what’s called an e-value or environmental value. Hydro doesn’t qualify for e-value.
“Community solar farms which use the same program that we do, they get paid this environmental value by the utility, and the utility uses that renewable energy towards its accounting for the progress of New York state’s goals,” said Smith.
The hydro community wants to change that.
Northern Power & Light, Brookfield Renewable, Boralex, and 15 other hydro companies have submitted a petition to the New York State Public Service Commission asking to qualify for the e-value.
“The same community solars are all over the place; there’s a lot of different companies. The same can happen and should happen with community hydro,” said Smith.
The state said the petition will be reviewed and an answer could come in the next few months.
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