Northern Power & Light has announced what it is calling the City of Glens Falls Community Hydro Project, a collaborative initiative between the City of Glens Falls, N.Y., Boralex and Northern Power & Light.
This initiative is bringing Glens Falls residents and businesses the option to choose clean, locally-sourced electricity, with the City of Glens Falls as lead subscriber.
The new community hydro project is built around Boralex’s Warrensburg Hydro facility, a 2.9 MW run-of-river facility on the Schroon River in Warrensburg, N.Y. The plant began operating in 1988. Boralex owns and operates hydroelectric sites in Canada, Europe, and the U.S. In New York State, Boralex operates six hydro facilities and has 10 solar projects currently under development.
“The City of Glens Falls is actively seeking ways to lower its carbon footprint and has taken an important step by becoming the anchor customer for the Warrensburg hydro facility,” said Dr. Jeffrey Flagg, economic director for the City of Glens Falls. “We are excited to partner with these local companies that focus on sustainability and community, two pillars that drive our city’s continued success.”
The City of Glens Falls’ government will consume about 30% of the project’s output to power City Hall, street lights, the water treatment plant, and other municipal facilities. Several local businesses have already enrolled as well, including the Charles R. Wood Theater, Queensbury Hotel, and Pure & Simple Foods.
Northern Power & Light, which specializes in clean power for National Grid customers from Adirondack hydro producers, is taking the lead to enroll new customers for the project. Northern Power & Light estimates electricity is available for 300 more customers from the Warrensburg Hydro facility, bringing more opportunity to support renewable energy.
“We think of it as farm-to-table power, an option for clean electricity that people can really trust and believe in,” said Northern Power & Light Chief Operating Officer Ethan Smith. “Rivers have powered us here for generations… This is our renewable energy, and we’re proud to make it available for local residents and businesses who are looking to mitigate their climate impact, as well as keep their energy dollars local.”
Northern Power & Light has previously partnered with Boralex on a community distributed generation project at Boralex’s Sissonville Hydro facility in Potsdam.
