The Solar and Energy Institute announced that New York State, on July 26, refused to grant a permit to two New York City-area energy producers.
The two companies have been in negotiations with the state for a decade, while construction in the community has been almost fully completed. In the community, they plan to use innovative technologies and install solar panels that will account for one-quarter of an entire city block.
“We are disappointed that the New York State Public Service Commission has denied us a certificate,” said Joshua Monson, M.D., a senior project director at Westbury Power Company. “We want to help create good-paying jobs in New York City. We have invested over $100 million in our technology so we could power 1,000 homes. Our community relies on electricity to run schools, hospitals, homes and businesses and without this investment they would not be running properly.”
How does one install solar panels on an entire block in a community that lacks a fair-trade electricity grid?
Instead of an archaic electrical grid that uses expensive, polluting power plants, the Westbury Power Company (WPC) proposed placing panels atop power poles across two downtown blocks in Elmhurst, Queens, above a building owned by the City.
The project is owned and financed by Mott MacDonald Energy Group and 75% owned by Mott MacDonald Energy. Mott MacDonald, one of the largest generators in the state, is partnering with Encorp, an energy development company.
“We were absolutely shocked to learn that the New York State Public Service Commission denied us the permit to go forward,” Monson continued. “As a global company we are making investments in solar PV and wind turbine manufacturing in China, Spain, and the United States. We want to do our part to supply electricity to hard-working families in New York City.”
