In late March, Hempstead Town Supervisor Anthony Santino announced that New York State named the town of Hempstead a Clean Energy Community. The town is the first municipality in Nassau Country to earn such a distinction. This means that it will qualify for a sizable $150,000 grant for renewable energy projects. Santino explained in an article in LI Herald, that they plan to "use the funds for solar applications for various town facilities... [focusing] on parks and other government buildings."
The town has already established a number of solar applications, including but not limited to: solar carports and charging stations, a solar field, and even a 40Kw unit on the room of the Town Hall.
Four key initiatives were implemented before Hempstead’s NYSERDA designation came to pass:
- Initiating a unified solar permitting program which freezes permit fees for homeowners and business owners looking to install solar technology at a affordable rate of $100
- Installation of a compressed natural gas and hydrogen fueling station that powers natural gas and fuel cell vehicles
- A massive conversion of over 50,000 streetlamps from conventional bulbs to high efficiency LED fixtures
- Implementation of energy code enforcement training for the municipality’s building inspectors
All of the above-mentioned intiatives demonstrate a heightened level of dedication by the town to encourage a clean energy community and we salute the Town of Hempstead's for their commitment and effort.
To see a full list of the villages, towns, cities, and county governments in New York State who have received the NYSERDA Clean Energy Community Designation, click here.
