FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 21, 2022

City of Kingston’s First Large-Scale Solar Array at Andy Murphy Center Creates 100% Renewable Electricity

KINGSTON, NY – Mayor Steven T. Noble is pleased to announce that the City of Kingston’s first large-scale municipal solar panel array, located at the Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center, is now fully operational.

The solar panel system on the roof at the Andy Murphy Center, is designed to meet 110% of the demand of the entire building’s electricity usage. The system, which includes 110 panels, was installed by Sun Common and became live on August 24, 2022. Since the installation, the solar panel array has saved 8,716 pounds of CO2, which is the equivalent of 65 trees planted.

“In celebration of Hudson Valley Climate Solutions Week, we are thrilled to announce that, in the City of Kingston, we are taking real, concrete actions to combat climate change and our local impact on the environment,” said Mayor Noble. “With 100% renewable electricity at one of our most utilized City buildings, this is a great first step toward lessening our overall impact and setting a standard for the community. I would like to thank NYSERDA, Sun Common, our Environmental and Sustainability team, the Parks & Recreation department, the Climate Smart Kingston Commission, and all those who helped us make this building self-sustaining for generations to come.”

“This is just the first of many initiatives that we will be rolling out in the near and medium term to divest from fossil fuels in the City,” said Julie Noble, Environmental Education & Sustainability Coordinator. “We must start with our own buildings first, to walk the walk, and that’s exactly what we did here. This location is front and center for all to see, and incidentally, also one of our largest consumers. Hand in hand, we are also prioritizing energy efficiency in our buildings, to be sure we are being the best environmental stewards while also saving money.”

Funding for solar at the Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center came from New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)’s Clean Energy Communities Program, with additional support from the Kingston Common Council to match grant funds.

While the Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center solar project is the City of Kingston’s first large-scale, 100% renewable array, several municipal buildings are equipped with smaller systems, including two ground mounted systems at the Forsyth Nature Center, and two community solar projects – one in partnership with Pointe of Praise Church, and the other on Albany Avenue with partner Radio Kingston.

The City of Kingston is a designated Clean Energy Community and a Silver Certified Climate Smart Community. In our 2030 Climate Action Plan, we committed to achieving 100% renewable electricity in municipal operations by 2030. The Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center is the first municipal building to achieve this goal. City staff also worked with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Cadmus, to develop a Roadmap to 100% Renewable Energy, a plan which outlines the energy transition for Kingston.

The solar panels at the AMNC are connected to the SolarEdge app, which reports real-time energy production, along with historical data to date.  

For more information on the City of Kingston’s sustainability initiatives, please visit https://kingston-ny.gov/sustainability.