Montante Solar is proposing a 4.72 Megawatt solar farm adjacent to the Buffalo Sewer Authority Wastewater Treatment Plant on Unity Island. The 11,780 panel project would meet approximately 80 percent of the Buffalo Sewer Authority’s annual power needs for its facility on Unity Island. It would occupy a 28-acre capped landfill located between the sewer plant and the International Railway line. The project requires a number of approvals including a rezoning of the site to light industrial.
From the Project Application:
Rezoning Unity Island for light industrial use for the sole purpose of installing solar panels is a critical step in Buffalo’s move to advance the use of “green” sources of energy production which are vital to the planet’s future, residents’ health, and our future economic growth. Thwo years ago, the City of Buffalo joined with the Buffalo Sewer Authority, Erie County, the University at Buffalo, Buffalo State College and SUNY Erie Community College in a joint project to leverage their shared purchasing power to bring more solar energy production to this area. A robust search and evaluation of potential projects was conducted and after a year of joint reviews and meetings, it was concluded that the Unity Island project was the best one for the City of Buffalo and the Buffalo Sewer Authority to pursue.
In addition to the environmental benefit this project will provide, it will also help the local economy. Montante Solar was selected to perform the work and this will result in dozens of local jobs. They have also committed to investing in a green jobs development program that will train low-income residents to perform solar panel maintenance and installation.
If granted, this project will benefit our local environment and economy. It will also accelerate the City’s shift to carbon neutral policies that will have long-term benefits for the entire region as we grapple with the health, economic and environmental costs of global climate change.
Montante Solar is a Tonawanda-based full-service installer of commercial solar energy systems.