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Village Hall's solar power on track

Panels performing as expected; more are being considered for other buildings

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It’s been seven months since the Village of Valley Stream installed solar panels on the roof of the band shell at the Village Green to defray some of Village Hall’s energy costs, and officials say the original projections have been proven accurate, and could lead to more solar panels around the village.

“Right now, the solar panels are providing energy for roughly one-third of Village Hall,” said Tom McAleer, superintendent of buildings. He said the panels currently produce 10 kilowatts of power per day, which matches projections made when the equipment was first installed. “It is essentially providing supplementary power for a few different departments, namely the Information Technology Department and the Building Department.”

The panels were installed as part of an overhaul of the village’s power system that began last fall. The village entered into a contract with Johnson Controls to replace all of Valley Stream’s nearly 3,000 streetlights, previously illuminated with halogen light bulbs, with LED bulbs.

The project, which cost roughly $4.5 million and also includes energy upgrades at the village’s pool facility and Department of Public Works garage, is funded by the savings the village expects to receive, which could reach as much as $6 million over the next 15 years.

“This self-funding project is a win-win for our residents,” Fare said when the project began. “Not only do they see real energy savings that will pay for the cost of the program, but they can be proud to know that this money-saving project will create jobs and reduce the community’s carbon footprint, all at no cost to the taxpayers.”

Now that solar energy is operating successfully, village officials are considering uses and locations for more panels. McAleer said that he is “always looking to improve the village,” and has ideas for where the next ones could go.

“Right now, the next site we are considering is our Department of Public Works building,” he said, noting that the building is still under construction, which would make installation easier. “We’re exploring a few different options for that space.”

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