Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara (D-Rotterdam) announced that Schenectady County, through the Schenectady County Solar Energy Consortium, will be implementing a new solar energy project that will completely power all municipal government buildings in the county. The funding was secured through the NY-Sun Program, which Assemblyman Santabarbara supported.

“As a civil engineer, I strongly believe that solar energy is the way of the future and this project will move Schenectady forward,” said Santabarbara. “It’s critically important that our municipal governments have the resources they need to ensure our communities are powered by clean energy so we can combat climate change while also saving taxpayer dollars.”

The project will enable municipal governments in the county to be 100 percent solar powered and will save taxpayers $45 million over the next 25 years. Additionally, there is potential for even further cost savings if power can also be diverted to local school districts.

As a member of the Assembly Committee on Energy, Assemblyman Santabarbara has long supported solar projects across the region and throughout the state, including projects like the Monolith Solar Park in Amsterdam.

“Building a more sustainable energy network takes bold action,” added Santabarbara. “I’m proud to be pushing for these historic investments in solar and other renewable energies across our state.”