First Solar Farm Tour

On a warm, wet day in late June, our education team hosted three busloads of visitors to one of the three community solar farms we’ve developed in the Town of Schodack in upstate New York. As this is the first of our pipeline of projects to be completed,  US the Eden team was filled with excitement watching the first visitors, clothed in bright safety vests and hard hats walk through the gates of Cedar Hill community solar farm.

The morning session consisted of nearly 50 7th grade students and their chaperones from Maple Hill Junior/Senior High School in Schodack. Later, the evening tour welcomed a group from New York Solar Energy Industries Association (NYSEIA) and Capital Region Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE), attending the Summer Solstice Happy Hour & Solar Farm Tour event. 

Following a brief safety talk visitors were able to examine a free-standing solar panel up close before walking through the site. Greencells Group Construction Manager, Sanjai, and Eden Project Coordinator, Jennifer, were on hand to answer questions.

Jennifer pointed out the tracker system that moves the panels on an East-West axis throughout the day, following the sun’s path, and the point of interconnection of National Grid’s power lines. She also discussed the biodiversity measures that will soon be implemented on site: bird/bat habitat boxes on the fence posts, pollinator-friendly reseeding, and sheep grazing.

7th graders carried out a biodiversity study as part of their lesson. They used worksheets, bug boxes, binoculars, and butterfly nets provided by Education Coordinator Michelle. They were excited to discover snails, frogs, beetles, snakes, various birds and turkey vultures!

The second tour group from WRISE and NYSEIA engaged in a discussion to determine how each company could do their part to help effectively transition New York State to green energy.  

Our education team can  provide site field trips to all local students and teachers interested in making solar energy education part of their curriculum. For more information or to start planning your first activity, contact us.

Photos courtesy of Eden Project Coordinator, Shelby.