Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the completion of a 2.76-MW solar project in Central New York. Located in the Town of Van Buren, Anheuser-Busch’s Baldwinsville brewery is the sole off-taker of the commercial solar project, which complements “Central New York Rising,” the region’s comprehensive strategy to generate robust economic growth and community development and supportsCuomo’s Green New Deal which calls for 70% of the state’s electricity to come from renewable sources by 2030 and 6,000 MW of solar by 2025.

“New York is making nation-leading investments in renewable energy resources that support our rapidly growing clean energy economy and provide businesses and residents with cleaner, more cost-effective energy,” Cuomo said. “This project exemplifies our efforts to support solar projects across the state that deliver meaningful environmental benefits while spurring economic growth that will serve New Yorkers for generations to come.”

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), through the NY-Sun program, provided over $1.1 million in support for the array which is comprised of more than 8,300 solar panels — making it Anheuser-Busch’s largest off-site installation to date in the United States. Located six miles from the company’s Baldwinsville brewery, the 2.76-MW array will produce over 3 million kWh annually, the equivalent of providing enough to brew 3 million cases of beverages annually.

“Our commitment to our communities and our environment go hand in hand,” said Ingrid De Ryck, VP Procurement and Sustainability at Anheuser-Busch “With this solar project, we are proud to continue investing in renewable energy in a community that our employees call home, bringing our sustainability goals to life right in our own backyard.”

The solar array is owned and operated by AES Distributed Energy and was developed to support Anheuser-Busch’s ambitious goal to purchase 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025.

Anheuser-Busch already secures 50% of its purchased electricity from wind power, which is more than the amount of electricity required to brew Budweiser beer in the U.S. each year.

“We applaud the State of New York for their leadership role in transitioning to renewables and Anheuser-Busch for their commitment to purchasing 100% renewable electricity,” said Woody Rubin, President of AES Distributed Energy “We are proud to support New York and Anheuser-Busch, make progress towards meeting their objectives and accelerating a greener energy future with the Baldwinsville project.”

News item from NYSERDA

<!–
–>