LIVINGSTON MANOR, NY — Catskill Mountainkeeper has been one of the chief agents of change in the region’s energy landscape, via their RenewableNY program, which ains to demonstrate that a clean and prosperous future built around efficiency and renewables is well within reach. The cornerstone of this program is the Solar Outreach Initiative.

Early in 2015, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) awarded a three-year $1.85 million dollar grant to Mountainkeeper and its partners at Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition, Sustainable Hudson Valley, and Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County to launch this campaign. The initiative’s community-based education and outreach campaigns simplify and streamline the consumer experience of going solar from start to finish, and its bulk purchasing programs significantly reduce costs for consumers and installers alike.

nother component is a comprehensive on-the-job-training and internship program to create new clean-energy jobs. According to the Mountainkeeper website, the initiative is expected to save participatng consumers $500,000 in energy costs each year and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 496 metric tons annually.

The work aligns with Gov. Cuomo’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) strategy to build a next-generation energy system that is clean, resilient and affordable for all New Yorkers.