RAYS THE ROOF
Cutting-edge solar panels at B’klyn Navy Yard
ALBANY — Sunshine is about to power up the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
City and navy yard officials will unveil Monday a 3,152-panel rooftop solar installation that will generate a significant portion of the industrial center’s power.
“We’ve always thought of ourselves as being on the cutting edge of manufacturing all the way back to naval times,” Brooklyn Navy Yard President and CEO David Ehrenberg told the Daily News.
“And this also puts us on the cutting edge of environmental stewardship.”
The solar farm is one of the largest in the city and is expected to generate 1.1 million kilowatthours of energy — enough to power 88 homes and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 1.4 million pounds annually.
City and navy yard officials hailed the solar installation as a key step toward meeting Mayor de Blasio’s goal of installing 100 megawatts of renewable energy at public buildings by 2025.
“We’re doubling jobs at the navy yard, and those workers and machines will need sustainable energy,” Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen said.
“On rooftops across the city, we’re installing new solar panels to cut emissions, create green jobs and save money.”
The navy yard is owned by the city and operated by the not-forprofit Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp.
Ehrenberg said the solar panels will also serve as a marketing tool to attract next-generation manufacturers to the navy yard.
“They are socially conscious,” Ehrenberg said. “It is something that our tenants value.”
The solar panels were installed on the roof of Building 293 by ConEdison Solutions — a Con Ed subsidiary that provides renewable energy options to customers — using $625,863 in incentives provided by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
Under its agreement with the navy yard, ConEdison Solutions will own and operate the panels and then sell the power to the navy yard at discounted rates.