Rooftop solar project makes history in East Hampton

East Hampton Town’s transition to green energy now includes a rooftop solar array with its own battery storage component on the parks department building. 

Officials said it’s the first "solar-plus-storage" project completed by a Long Island municipality. The battery storage system allows energy created from the solar panels to be saved for when the sun is hidden or the grid faces higher demand.

“Today is another first for East Hampton in our efforts to become 100% renewable energy here,” Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc said Thursday.

Officials from New York Power Authority joined town leaders to introduce the system officials estimate will save the municipality about $10,000 per year.

Van Scoyoc said the project is the next step toward protecting the environment and “ensuring a clean, green future.”

The building, located on the Town Hall campus in East Hampton, features the largest rooftop of a town-owned building and provided an ideal opportunity for the 165 solar panels, according to Ben Cuozzo, lead project manager at NYPA. 

Installation began in late 2021 and finished in January, officials said.

"Solar holds such great promise, but we need to make sure it can be delivered where and when we need it," said Justin Driscoll, CEO of NYPA.

Cuozzo said the technology is relatively new and becoming more common. The battery system provides greater resiliency by continuing to generate electricity in "moments that the grid may be going down," he added.

The system features typical rooftop solar panels. In the back of the building, a row of gray boxes installed on the outside wall store energy created from the panels.

Smaller white boxes called inverters convert the energy from the solar panels into usable electricity. 

The project brings the town closer to New York’s goal of generating 70% of electricity by renewable sources such as wind and solar by 2030.

The system connects to PSEG Long Island's distribution grid, officials said, and it provides 90 megawatt hours of energy annually.

East Hampton Town, which includes areas susceptible to rising seas from climate change, adopted a climate action plan in 2015 as part of the state's Climate Smart Communities program. Part of that plan was to retrofit municipal buildings with solar and renewable technologies. 

“The Town of East Hampton is taking the lead among its Long Island peers when it comes to transitioning to greener technologies, reducing carbon emissions and implementing economical projects,” Driscoll said.

The solar system will be financed through a 20-year power purchase agreement with Inclusive Prosperity Capital, a nonprofit investment fund that focuses on clean energy projects.

The agreement allowed the town to have the system installed at no cost. The town then will buy electricity generated by the system at a negotiated rate.

John D’Agostino, the fund's managing director, said the East Hampton solar array also is the company's first solar-plus-storage project. He said they're "thrilled" to own and operate the first such municipal system on Long Island.

 The battery system came at no cost to the town through a grant and assistance from NYPA. 

Solar Liberty, a company that specializes in solar installation, handled the construction.  

Van Scoyoc said fighting climate change "has to be a global effort if we're going to survive on this planet."