Town Cuts Ribbon On Accabonac Solar

A ribbon cutting held Monday, October 22, celebrated East Hampton’s first ground array of solar panels. The Accabonac Road project will be the first megawatt-scale solar power plant on the South Fork. It is expected to be completed by year’s end.

When the project is completed, 3456 individual 320-watt solar panels will produce 1.6 megawatts of renewable energy in 7.5 acres of the total space. The plant will then be connected to the grid and is capable of providing enough energy to power 129 homes each year.

East Hampton Town Board members are cooperating with AES Distributed Energy, which is overseeing the construction and installation of the solar panels. The town is currently leasing the land to AES, which has taken over the project from SunEdison. There will not be any out of pocket costs to the town. The site is located on the northwest side of Accabonac Road, north of the intersection of Abraham’s Path and south of the intersection at Harrison Avenue.

Once a brush dump, the solar array will be situated on 21 acres of East Hampton Town land. The project is part of the town’s effort, adopted as a 2014 policy, to transition the town to renewable energy sources by the year 2020.

“I’m excited to see Accabonac Solar near completion,” said East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc. “With the first megawatt-scale solar farm on the South Fork, along with offshore wind, and offering rooftop solar to local residents, East Hampton is well on its way to meet our 100-percent renewable
energy goals.”

justin@indyeastend.com