There's a lot of misinformation about local solar projects. Here are the facts.
Solar opponents make dramatic claims. The data tells a different story.
NY State Comptroller, Nov 2024
Hudson imports 100% of electricity
42MW of local clean energy
The opposition uses scary language. Here's what they're not telling you.
"Solar caused a dangerous fire at Castleton"
It was a brush fire on a Red Flag Warning day. The fire department called it a brush fire. The solar company confirmed zero panel damage the next day.
"Solar destroys prime farmland"
Solar accounts for 0.5% of farmland loss. Meanwhile, NY lost 14% of farms in the last decade. Solar gives farmers stable income to keep their land.
"Shepherd's Run sprawls over 700 acres"
Only 215 acres will have panels. The rest is required setbacks and buffer zones—the same protections they claim to want.
"There is no way to decarbonize the state by 2050 without more solar farms. If we covered every landfill, parking lot, and brownfield in NY, we'd still need hundreds of rural solar projects." — Dr. Richard Perez, SUNY Albany Atmospheric Science Center
Hudson Valley has a choice to make about its energy future.
Hudson has zero electricity generation. The county imports nearly all power from a grid that's 48.7% natural gas. Rural homes burn heating oil delivered by truck.
Shepherd's Run would generate clean energy for 9,500 homes. Community solar could save residents 10% on bills. Jobs and tax revenue would stay local.
NY needs 210 GW of solar by 2050. That's ~1,000 projects like Shepherd's Run across 932 townships.
Sensible Solar for Rural New York presents itself as an environmental group. It's not.
Real environmentalists don't oppose solar. The Sierra Club, NRDC, and every major environmental organization supports utility-scale solar as essential to climate goals.
SSRNY is a small group of change-resistant residents using "watershed" and "farmland" as cover for general opposition to development. Their concerns evaporate under scrutiny—they're not proposing alternatives, just "not here."
Learn More About SSRNY