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As a homeowner or business owner in Berne, you may be planning on switching to solar power and wondering about the best solar companies in your city. Solar could be a fantastic choice since it has many perks. While solar power is a large investment, you''ll be able to make that money back and then some, all while doing your part for the environment. In fact, you could be looking at saving about $20,000 over 20 years.
This map shows the footprint of the 4.25-megawatt solar facility proposed by TJA Energy at 57 Canaday Hill Road.
BERNE — After tabling a project in 2020 because of a then-recently adopted local solar law, TJA Energy is back in Berne with a proposal for a 4.25 megawatt solar facility at 57 Canaday Hill Road.
This time, the company benefits from a solar law that the GOP-backed town board adopted in 2022, that overrode the earlier law, passed in 2019 when Democrats still had control of the board.
While that earlier law had restricted projects to 10 acres, the current law upped that threshold to 30 acres. TJA''s proposal says the area of disturbed land would be a little more than 20 acres on a roughly 46-acre property owned by an LLC that shares an address with the developer and is managed by a man named Antonio Alves.
However, the solar panels themselves would only cover around 4.6 acres, according to the company''s application documents, which can be found on Berne''s homepage.
The property is in a Residence, Agriculture, and Forestry zone.
While the solar law''s size requirements are not a problem for TJA, the company is seeking a variance on the setback requirements, since the project would be 16 feet from the property of Jay Becker, while the law requires at least a 200-foot setback.
A letter written by Becker included with the application documents states that he and his family have "no objection to the proposed location" following a discussion with TJA''s president, Michael Frateschi, where they reached an agreement that the Beckers could lease the remaining area of the property for farming for the life of the solar project, which is expected to be at least 30 years.
According to the agricultural data statement in the application, the property has prime soil.
Through its attorney, E. Hyde Clark, TJA argued in a letter to the zoning board of appeals that the variance should be allowed because the project meets the public utility variance standard established by the New York State Court of Appeals, the state''s top court, which holds that "compelling reasons" allow "a company that provides an ''essential service''" to only demonstrate those specific reasons to receive a variance.
Clark claims that solar energy projects are necessary because they generate electricity and align with state and federal climate goals. The compelling reasons are, according to Clark, that there''s no alternative site available for this project — due to the various requirements a property has to meet, including proximity to utility lines — and that meeting the setback requirements at the current site would have a greater environmental impact.
A visual analysis included in the application suggests that the project, at a maximum of 12 feet off the ground, would be largely invisible from most vantage points, with exceptions along Switzkill and Sickle Hill roads, and a separate analysis claims there''d be no glare.
The environmental assessment says that construction would be over a period of eight months, which, according to an acoustic analysis, would be the noisiest the property gets, after which the noise level at the nearest property line would be 47.3 decibels — a bit louder than a suburban area at night, and quieter than a household refrigerator, according to a Yale University chart.
Up close, the property''s converters and transformer would reach a noise level of 76.7 decibels, according to the analysis. That''s slightly louder than a vacuum, per Yale''s chart.
The application also includes a 476-page stormwater pollution prevention plan.
Solar facility proposals are almost always controversial in the Hilltowns, where many residents are concerned about preserving rural character. In Berne, there''s the added fuel of long-standing political tensions.
Then-town board member Joel Willsey, a Democrat who had voted in favor of the 2019 solar law, framed the board''s replacement of that law in a 2021 letter to the Enterprise editor as one of several "symptoms" of an administration fighting against the preferences of residents as captured in the town''s comprehensive plan.
Earlier in 2021, he had written a letter to his colleagues on the board arguing against the law. In 2020, the planning board advised the town against adopting the law as it was then drafted, with lower setback requirements than are in the current law.
The planning board had also argued that year that the town board was denying the planning board its obligation to review laws that impact land use, leading to a bitter spat between town attorney Javid Afzali and Larry Zimmerman, then a member of the planning board.
In accordance with Berne''s solar law, the project''s fate will be determined by the zoning board, which is headed by Tom Spargo, the county''s Conservative Party chairman and a former state Supreme Court justice who was disbarred after a conviction on bribery charges.
Frateschi told The Enterprise this week that the facility is smaller than what TJA was going to propose in the past, in terms of both overall footprint and the area taken up by panels, and that TJA "also incorporated a few more agricultural elements including sheep grazing and bee apiaries."
About Berne solar energy companies
As the photovoltaic (PV) industry continues to evolve, advancements in Berne solar energy companies have become critical to optimizing the utilization of renewable energy sources. From innovative battery technologies to intelligent energy management systems, these solutions are transforming the way we store and distribute solar-generated electricity.
When you're looking for the latest and most efficient Berne solar energy companies for your PV project, our website offers a comprehensive selection of cutting-edge products designed to meet your specific requirements. Whether you're a renewable energy developer, utility company, or commercial enterprise looking to reduce your carbon footprint, we have the solutions to help you harness the full potential of solar energy.
By interacting with our online customer service, you'll gain a deep understanding of the various Berne solar energy companies featured in our extensive catalog, such as high-efficiency storage batteries and intelligent energy management systems, and how they work together to provide a stable and reliable power supply for your PV projects.
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