FAQs
Development
Q: WHAT DOES A SOLAR FARM CONSIST OF?
A: All solar farms require:
Sufficient capacity in the local power grid network.
Electrical apparatus on-site including a private substation/transformer and inverters evenly distributed throughout the site. The transformers are approximately 10 feet high.
Panels installed on metal frames drilled directly into the ground.
A clearance gap of at least 13 feet between each row of solar panels to allow space for maintenance vehicles, sheep grazing, and to prevent shading of panels.
Eight-foot high perimeter fencing for security required by insurance against theft, safety, and damage. Rural deer fences are usually used so that they blend in well with the surrounding countryside and smaller mammals can still have access to the land enclosed by the solar farm.
Q: WHAT DOES THE INVERTER DO?
A: PV solar panels produce high voltage (more than 400v) direct current (DC) electricity. The inverter converts this DC current to alternating current (AC), which is the standard voltage used by the appliances in your home.
Q: WHAT ABOUT GLARE FROM THE SOLAR PANELS?
A: Very little energy is lost through reflection. Any glare is minimized by using translucent coating materials to improve light transmittance through glass. Grass produces more glare than a PV array.
Q: IS THERE ANY POLLUTION OR NUISANCE ASSOCIATED WITH SOLAR FARMS?
A: Photovoltaic panels convert sunlight into electricity without any discernible noise, vibration, and air or water pollution. The only noise is from inverters, which convert the DC power to AC. They are located toward the center of the project area and are only audible within a few hundred feet.
Q: DO THE PANELS REQUIRE MAINTENANCE?
A: The key maintenance is regular check-up to the electrical equipment and management of the land. Encouraging diverse grassland, wildflowers, and sheep grazing is the most cost-effective method of land management for most solar farms.
Q: HOW IS THE LAND MANAGED WHILE THE SOLAR FARM IS IN OPERATION?
A: A specialized land management team will be employed to maintain the site throughout the operation of the solar farm. The team will be responsible for implementing the landscape strategy that includes the planting of trees, hedges, a wildflower meadow and possible sheep grazing. Chemical pesticides and herbicides will be avoided wherever possible, to restore the land organically.
Q: WHAT ABOUT FLOOD RISK?
A: Rain water runoff from the site will not increase from the presence of the panel arrays and it will not displace any floodwater. A wetlands and stormwater assessment will be commissioned and form part of any mitigation that might be required.
Q: IS MORE ENERGY USED TO MAKE THE PANELS THAN THE PANELS PRODUCE?
A: A solar farm is expected to pay back the energy used in manufacture and construction within a year of its 25 to 40 year lifetime.
Q: CAN THE PANELS BE RECYCLED?
A: Nearly 99% of the solar panels are made of glass, silica, aluminum, steel, copper and plastic which are largely recyclable with a good salvage value. We will provide a decommissioning plan which accounts for all costs associated with dismantling the solar farm and follows the NYSERDA Decommissioning Solar Panel Systems guidance created for local governments and landowners.
Q: DO SOLAR FARMS AFFECT PROPERTY VALUES?
A: As the site will be well-screened from neighboring properties, there is no reason to expect that property values will be negatively affected.
EDUCATION
Q: WHAT IS EDEN EDUCATION?
A: Eden Education is our industry-leading educational support program linked to our community solar farms. This program is offered to schools in our host communities to give children the chance to learn beyond the school grounds and gain knowledge and experiences in STEM subjects. Participation in our education program doesn’t cost schools anything.
Q: HOW IS THE EDUCATION PROGRAM FUNDED?
A. Our education program is funded by the community solar farms in each host community. This totals a few thousand dollars per year for the lifetime of the solar farm, which goes towards all costs associated with running the program as well as the annual scholarship offered at each school.
Q: WHO RUNS THE EDUCATION PROGRAM?
A: We have a dedicated education team who runs our education program. They serve to provide support to teachers who want to supplement their curriculum with our program, including tailoring lesson plans to ensure topics and activities are relevant to their class and coordinating field trips to our sites.
Q: DO YOUR LESSON PLANS MEET SCHOOL STANDARDS?
A: Our lesson plans have been tailored to meet state educational standards including Next Generation Science Standard and Common Core by the Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation.
Q: WHEN IS YOUR ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP OFFERED AND WHO CAN APPLY?
A: The call-for-application for our annual scholarship begins in March and runs through the end of May, giving students three months to gather materials and submit their application. High school seniors graduating from a school in one of our host communities are eligible to apply.
Q: WHO CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE EDUCATION PROGRAM?
A: Our education program is offered to schools in our host communities and throughout the Capital Region.
SUBSCRIPTION
Q: IS SUBSCRIBING TO A COMMUNITY SOLAR FARM THE SAME AS BUYING MY ENERGY FROM AN ENERGY SERVICES COMPANY (ESCO)?
A: An ESCO only replaces the electricity supply charges on your electricity bill, while community solar replaces both delivery and supply charges on your electricity bill.
Q: HOW WILL THE SOLAR ENERGY GET TO MY HOME?
A: The clean energy generated by the community solar farm will be fed into the local power grid operated by National Grid. Some or all of the electricity you already receive from National Grid will now come from locally-produced solar energy, reducing the amount of fossil fuels burned in New York.
Q: DO I NEED TO LET MY UTILITY KNOW I AM SIGNING UP FOR THIS?
A: Following the regulations outlined by the NYSERDA and the NY PSC, Eden Renewables will inform National Grid on your behalf. You don’t need to call National Grid or switch your utility account.
Q. WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE COMMUNITY SOLAR FARMS?
Any National Grid customer who is a homeowner, renter or small business that is located in the Capital District (NYISO Load Zone F).
Q: CAN YOU SUBSCRIBE TO A COMMUNITY SOLAR FARM IF YOU ALREADY HAVE SOLAR PANELS ON YOUR PROPERTY?
A: No. You can only subscribe to a community solar farm if you do not already have solar panels on your property. This also provides residents that do not own their home, cannot afford to install solar panels, or just prefer to not have solar panels on their property, access to clean energy.
Q: CAN YOU SUBSCRIBE TO MORE THAN ONE COMMUNITY SOLAR FARM?
A: No. You can only subscribe to one community solar farm per utility account/installed meter at a time.
Q: HOW AND WHEN CAN I PARTICIPATE?
A: Priority subscription is offered to residents and businesses of our host communities as we near ground breaking and before it is offered to the wider public. Either way, you can reserve your spot on our website and we will get in touch with you once we are ready to accept subscriptions and connect to the grid.