Regarding “NY solar arrays cannot destroy our farms,” lohud.com, July 10:
Across Westchester County, the transition to clean energy is being driven by a broad coalition of businesses, municipalities and clean energy leaders working together under one banner: the Business Council of Westchester’s Clean Energy Action Coalition, or CEAC. With more than 130 member organizations, CEAC has become one of the region’s most effective forces for advancing solar power and battery energy storage as the fastest and lowest cost option to reduce energy expenses, improve grid reliability and resilience and create local jobs — all while moving toward more sustainable, cleaner and safer communities.
As electric consumption climbs, up 20% in the last 10 years, meeting the challenges of powering a growing economy becomes more urgent. We witnessed this strain firsthand last summer, which brought four of the top ten electric peak loads of all time and shattered records for the highest June peak ever.
This need is particularly clear in Westchester, the fastest growing county in New York State. Despite the suburban stereotype, Westchester, along with other neighboring counties, recently received an F in air quality from the American Lung Association. To meet the demand for energy while protecting the public, we must prioritize power from clean sources.
Investment in solar generation and battery storage are no longer optional
This growing demand for clean power — especially at peak times — highlights exactly why timely investments in resilient, community-ready solar and battery storage are no longer optional. The market reality is clear: the fastest, lowest-cost new electric generation available today is solar paired with battery storage. According to recent industry reporting, renewables remain the most cost-competitive form of generation on an unsubsidized basis, uniquely positioning them to meet high power demands quickly and affordably.
CEAC’s approach to solar starts with the built environment. The coalition champions solar on the surfaces Westchester already has in abundance: commercial and warehouse rooftops, parking-lot carports, municipal and school properties and brownfield sites. Just putting solar carports over Westchester’s existing 1+ acre parking lots would generate ~800 MWs of power — as much as 40% of the peak output of the former Indian Point nuclear power plant.
Our work in Westchester and the Hudson Valley also has deep relevance to all of New York State, including agricultural regions, where solar offers a stable, weather-proof source of income for struggling family farms. For farmers facing thin margins, a solar lease can be the cash crop that keeps land in the family rather than lost to permanent development. Paired with dual-use approaches that keep part of the land in production, solar can help working farms stay working — proof that the same clean energy CEAC is advancing across Westchester can strengthen the agricultural communities beyond it.
Solar reaches its full value when paired with storage. CEAC has made battery energy storage systems, or BESS, a central priority, advancing projects that store clean power for use when demand peaks and the grid is strained. Just as important, the coalition works to ensure storage is deployed responsibly with meaningful safety standards, firefighter and first-responder training, and genuine community engagement. CEAC’s message to host communities is consistent: storage is critical to affordability and reliability. It should be viewed as vital community infrastructure and sited with fact-based input and clear public benefit.Overcoming New York’s pressing energy challenges demands the practical, collaborative framework. By bringing together developers, utilities, municipal officials and business leaders to the same table, the BCW is creating the forum we need. This collaboration turns advocacy into action: shared model ordinances, site-identification tools for local governments, and unified the voice on the policies that shape Westchester’s clean energy future.
Noam Bramson is executive vice president for government affairs and economic development at The Business Council of Westchester and Ron Kamen is director of The Business Council of Westchester’s Clean Energy Action Coalition and founder and CEO of Earthkind Energy.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: To power New York, we must expand solar and battery storage | Opinion
Reporting by Noam Bramson and Ron Kamen, Special to the USA TODAY Network / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Noam Bramson and Ron Kamen, Special to the USA TODAY Network | USA TODAY Network
