The Distributed Energy Resources (DER) Plan is the formal name for that voluntary green infrastructure investment program.ĭistributed Energy Resources (DERs) are efficiency, electrification, and/or power generation and storage units on the consumer side of the electric meter. ( More background on T-GEN is available here from May) Consistent with the January 2023 NYS Public Service Commission (PSC) order to allow T-GEN to be implemented, the Town and City of Ithaca must formally adopt voluntary investment programs associated with T-GEN. In collaboration with the Town of Ithaca, the CCA program has been named Tompkins Green Energy Network, or “T-GEN,” in an effort to better describe the program in title and serve as its public-facing component. However, the transmission infrastructure that would bring the electricity to people’s homes is owned by NYSEG, so the utility company would still have a transmission fee included in people’s electric bills. ![]() In the case of Ithaca, the CCA that is being explored would be crafted for the City to purchase 100% renewable electricity. A CCA can be crafted for a community to find cheaper energy, regardless of whether it’s generated from solar farms or natural gas. ![]() Municipalities don’t get to choose where their power comes from when buying from NYSEG. In New York State, residents of a municipality can be automatically enrolled into the CCA, but they have the right to opt out of CCA agreements. The power is being purchased on behalf of the residents of a town, village, or city, and can include multiple municipalities. A CCA allows local governments to go out onto the open market and purchase power directly from energy service providers other than the one that dominates its retail region, which in the case of Ithaca is New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG). The DER plan has to do with the Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) initiative approved by the Common Council last September. The vote to send the allotment request for Vertical Access’s smokestack analysis to council passed unanimously 4-0. The PEDC has to sign off on the $18,000 allotment, and if they do, it’ll go to the full Common Council in early September for consideration and a potential vote of final approval.ĭiscussion of the proposal was surprisingly minimal, with just some clarification questions from Kumar. ![]() 15, winter safety equipment will raise the total bill from $33,137, to $35,480. The plan is to inspect in late September, but if the city delays and it has to be scheduled on or after Nov. Visum has agreed to split the cost in half, so the city would commit to paying $16,569.Ĭity Historic Preservation Planner Bryan McCracken has proposed the city set aside a total of $18,000 in the budget so there’s some padding in case the inspection has to be done in the winter. Vertical Access proposes a fee of $33,137 to complete the existing conditions assessment of the Ithaca Gun Company smokestack, which is more than the $15,000-$30,000 total cost that the city initially estimated. ![]() To be clear, the consultant had to possess “professional qualifications and expertise relevant to the examination and preservation of historic structures,” and the proposed report had to assess the existing condition of the smokestack, identify deficiencies impacting its long-term survival, and provide cost estimates for any required and/or recommended stabilization or repair work.įour estimates were reviewed, and Vertical Access, an Ithaca-based consulting firm, was identified as the preferred consultant based on their professional qualifications and the scope of their proposed report. Fast-forward to the current day and a firm and cost estimate have been supplied for the city’s consideration.
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