ROCKLAND – Another solar energy project is coming to Sullivan County. 

On May 18, the Industrial Development Agency (IDA) unanimously approved Rockland Solar SC, LLC’s application for assistance to build a 4.6 Megawatts AC photovoltaic electricity-generating facility that will be interconnected to the New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) electrical grid. 

The project will be constructed on a 26.5-acre parcel of land along Amber Lake Road in the Town of Rockland, and the electricity generated by the project will be sold to NYSEG customers that enroll in NYSEG’s Community Distributed Generation. This program incentivizes investment in the solar grid by lowering electricity bills for customers who elect to get some of their energy from solar panel generation.

“This is another community solar project in the county, so the state has a policy encouraging the development of renewable energy,” said IDA Attorney Walter Garigliano. He said the county office of sustainability asked the IDA in 2016 to promote the construction of solar energy facilities.

Under the 20-year PILOT (Pay In Lieu Of Taxes) agreement, the company will make regular payments to the IDA, which will then disburse funds to the county, town, and school districts. The agreement stipulates that the county will lease the land to Rockland Solar SC, LLC, which will buy the land after the 20-year tax abatement. Rockland Solar SC, LLC is a company under the umbrella of Nexus Renewables, an energy infrastructure firm based in Toronto, Ontario.

The IDA’s decision comes after unanimous approval by the Town of Rockland during their board meeting on May 15. The move is part of a larger statewide push to finance solar projects to make New York State’s energy production more sustainable.