Grant to fund solar array for bus system
KINGSTON, N.Y. » A $100,000 grant is expected to fund solar charging infrastructure in preparation for Ulster County’s planned purchase of electric-powered buses.
Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan said the funding will be used to pay for a solar array, to be installed on the roof of the Ulster County Area Transit facility, to power the facility and charging infrastructure for any electric buses to be procured.
Ryan said the state funding will contribute to his goal of using 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030 as a part of his “Big Five” priority of a “Green New Deal for Ulster County.”
“This funding will help ensure that Ulster County continues to lead the way in promoting a more sustainable future through the continued investment in clean energy to power our local transportation,” Ryan said in a press release.
Ryan said that the funding was secured by state Sen. Jen Metzger, D-Rosendale, who represents the 42nd Senate District.
“The transportation sector, alone, accounts for more than a third of New York’s greenhouse gas emissions, the main cause of climate change, and a big part of the solution is investment in public transportation and zero emissions vehicles,” Metzger said in a statement. “Ulster County is leading the way on both fronts in its work to procure three electric buses for UC Area Transit, and I’m thrilled to partner with the County in securing $100,000 in state funding for a solar installation to power the buses with clean, renewable energy.”
In July, Metzger introduced a bill in the state Senate that would expand New York’s Zero-Emissions Vehicle program to trucks and buses— a step that was recently taken in California. The program would require manufacturers of medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses to increase the percentage of clean vehicles they sell over time, as is done for passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks.
The state Legislature passed a law in 2019, which Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed in July of that year, requiring the elimination of fossil fuel-based generation entirely by 2040, with an interim goal of meeting 70 percent of the state’s
electricity needs from renewable resources by 2030.
Metzger was a member of the Senate’s Climate workgroup that developed the law, known as the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, and a member of the Senate Environmental Conservation and Energy & Telecommunications Committees.
Metzger has been a proponent in the State Senate for shifting to a clean energy economy and has introduced a package of bills to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles in New York.
In December, Cuomo signed into law Metzger’s bill directing the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to identify areas across the state where electric vehicle charging infrastructure is insufficient and develop a plan to close the gaps.
Ulster County Area Transit (UCAT) is the primary public transit service provider in Ulster County. UCAT currently maintains a fleet of 36 vehicles which include gas, diesel, and diesel-electric hybrid vehicles.
UCAT provides service on 18 routes, connecting Ulster County’s towns, villages, and educational campuses in Kingston and to one another.
One of Ryan’s first acts upon taking office was signing an executive order committing Ulster County to use 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030.
As a part of this Executive Order, Ulster County is required to decrease greenhouse gas emissions associated with its operations (through conservation, efficiency, and on-site renewable generation) by 25 percent by 2025 and 80 percent by 2050, using the county’s 2012 greenhouse gas emission inventory as a baseline.
Ryan said that the bus project complements the county’s overall fleet electrification initiatives and the county’s larger emissions reduction goals by installing a large solar array on the roof of the UCAT transit facility.
“This solar array would create clean energy to help power the UCAT facility and any electric buses to be procured,” the press release says. “The roof has a large service area and is well suited to a solar installation.”