Solar power initiative in Rockland County town eliminated, without ever generating any electricity
PEARL RIVER, N.Y. -- It is "lights out" for a New York state solar power initiative.
More than 1,000 solar panels installed in Rockland County in 2018 have since been dismantled.
The skeletal remains of a solar panel array speak to a project that never paid off, an attempt to generate clean green solar power on land controlled by the state Department of Transportation just outside the hamlet of Pearl River in the town of Orangetown.
There were 1,196 solar panels on the frames, harnessing the rays of the sun, enough to power 80 homes a year.
At least, that was the promise.
Images from Google Maps show the panels from the ground and from above. They are impressive, but ultimately useless.
A court document filed by the state DOT says the solar farm remained off-line for its entire lifespan, generating nothing.
"They were never used. that means taxpayer dollars went for something that was just a waste," Orangetown Supervisor Teresa Kenny said.
Kenny said she has been asking the DOT for answers. Aiello found one in a court document, indicating the state suffered almost $6 million dollars in "liquidated damages" in a deal with Monolith Solar to build solar farms here and at eight other sites.
Monolith is now effectively out of business.
"Maybe it was jumping into the renewable energies too quickly, without really doing due diligence. I don't know," Kenny said.
The supervisor pointed out that the state allowed Monolith Solar to cut down many trees to make room for the solar farm. She said she got an email from the DOT about the future of the site.
"They're going to remove everything and it's going to be returned to its natural state," Kenny said.
Despite the failure of the nine-project deal with monolith, the state insists it is on track to meet clean energy goals -- 70 percent of electricity to come from renewables by the year 2030.
Late Wednesday, the state told CBS2 a contractor removed the panels without authorization, before a plan for that work was complete. It promises to keep the town in the loop as the site is cleaned and replanted.