🌿 Sustainability Committee
Croton eyes $100K battery lease to fund green projects
The Croton Sustainability Committee advanced two $300,000 solar projects fully funded by grants, including 18 EV charging ports at the train station slated for construction next month. The committee also explored leasing village-owned land at the Pumphouse Road facility to a battery storage developer, a move that could generate $100,000 annually for future carbon-cutting projects.
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▶ Key Actions & Decisions
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Resolutions Passed: None (no formal resolutions were voted on during this meeting).
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Resolutions Failed: None.
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Applications Reviewed: None.
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Public Comments: None (no guests or public speakers attended).
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Reports:
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Personnel: Village Engineer Dan O'Connor retired on 9/26/25 after 23 years of service; his replacement starts next week.
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EV/EVSE: The contract with Plug-In Stations Online (PISO) to install 18 EV charge ports at the train station is in-process. Construction begins next month with a goal of year-end completion. Total cost is ~$300K, fully funded by grants and non-taxpayer sources.
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Renewable Diesel (RD): Mayor Brian Pugh reported the RD pilot test (started 9/29/25) on three village diesel vehicles is "so far, so good," successfully cutting CO2e and soot. The test runs through January 2026.
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Train Station Solar Canopies: Lighting issues under array #2 are being fixed by partially covering two photocells confused by distant train yard lights. Bollards will be installed to protect downspouts damaged by commuters.
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DPW Solar Canopy: Project awarding is delayed due to paperwork. Trustee Len Simon agreed to set up a zoom with Bryan Healy to proceed. The goal is to complete the 59.4 kW project by early 2026 at ~$300K (prior to incentives, a grant, and a ~$90K IRA rebate; no Village funds involved).
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Residential Solarize: Sustainable Westchester reported ~80 (~20%) of inquiries proceeded to contracts, double the prior Solarize percentage.
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Heat Pumps: Harmon firehouse rooftop HPs are on hold until the roof is replaced. Washington firehouse garage HPs are on hold until Harmon's solar rooftop is completed.
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Food Scrap Recycling: A new, larger scrap shed has been ordered and will be delivered before the November meeting. Additional toters will be ordered to accommodate 20-25 (~20%) more families.
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BESS Revenue Proposal: Chair Lindsay Audin scoped two small plots at the Pumphouse Road water facility for a potential 2-4 MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) lease. Based on a Cortlandt proposal, this could generate ~$100K/yr, with half reserved for future carbon-cutting projects. Len Simon agreed to set up a zoom with Bryan Healy to review the option. Ground-mounted solar was previously rejected for this site due to shading, flooding, and utility needs.
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PR/Outreach: Groundwork Hudson Valley toured the solar canopies on 9/20; Audin was interviewed by WBAI radio on power storage on 9/24.
Croton’s Sustainability Committee is eyeing a new way to fund green initiatives without relying on unpredictable government grants: leasing a small slice of village-owned land for a battery energy storage system.
During the committee’s October 5 virtual meeting, Chair Lindsay Audin proposed leasing two small plots at the village’s Pumphouse Road water facility to a commercial BESS developer. A 2-4 MW system could generate roughly $100,000 a year under a 25-year contract. Half of that revenue would be earmarked specifically for future carbon-cutting projects in the village.
“BESS occupy little space, may be placed anywhere, and sit on pads high enough to avoid flooding,” Audin noted, explaining why the site—which is partially shaded and prone to flooding—wouldn't work for solar panels but is ideal for batteries. Village Trustee Len Simon agreed to set up a meeting with Bryan Healy to formally review the option.
The BESS discussion comes as the committee races to finish existing projects before federal and state incentives expire. The village is preparing to install 18 EV charging ports at the train station next month. The $300,000 project is fully funded by grants and contracted through Plug-In Stations Online (PISO), with completion eyed by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, a separate $300,000 solar canopy project at the DPW is facing paperwork delays. Prior to a roughly $90,000 IRA rebate and other grants, the 59.4 kW project will cost the village nothing.
On the operational side, Mayor Brian Pugh reported that the village’s renewable diesel pilot program, which launched in late September, is “so far, so good.” Three village vehicles—a sewer truck, landscaper, and street sweeper—are running on the fuel through January 2026 to cut CO2 emissions and soot.
Residents should also note that the popular Food Scrap Recycling program is expanding. A larger scrap shed has been ordered and is expected to arrive before the committee's next meeting, allowing 20 to 25 additional families to join the program.
The committee's next virtual meeting is scheduled for Sunday, November 9 at 10:00 AM.
Coverage of the Sustainability Committee meeting on 2025-10-05, Village of Croton-on-Hudson, NY. View original document ↗
Written by Matthew Broudy, publisher & responsible editor, croton.news. Read our editorial policy.
Related Sustainability Committee Meetings
▶ Key Actions & Decisions
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Resolutions Passed: None.
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Resolutions Failed: None.
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Applications Reviewed: None.
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Public Comments: None (no guests attended).
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Reports:
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Westchester Power CCA: Village Trustee Len Simon announced Westchester Power is ending CCA for all participating municipalities effective 11/30/25 due to new NY State outreach, education, and enrollment requirements.
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EV/EVSE/Renewable Diesel: A contract with Plug-In Stations Online to install 18 EV charge ports at the train station is expected to be signed this month, with completion by spring. A Renewable Diesel (RD) pilot test for Village diesel vehicles has run for two months without issue; RD is currently 6% cheaper than standard diesel. Two more vehicles were added to the test, which concludes in January. Westchester County Airport recently switched all 64 diesel vehicles to RD.
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Solar Projects: Train station canopy commissioning by NovaSource is expected before year's end. The DPW solar canopy winning bidder was dismissed on 10/10/25 for failing to provide required paperwork, resulting in the loss of ~$9,000 of a ~$48,000 NY-SUN incentive. The project will be re-bid to secure the remaining ~$39,000. Adding a battery was discussed but is complicated by Cortlandt's battery moratorium.
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Heat Pumps: Harmon firehouse rooftop heat pumps are on hold pending roof replacement; Washington firehouse garage heat pumps are on hold pending Harmon solar completion. Chair Lindsay Audin reported that replacing his water heater with a Heat Pump Water Heater (HPWH) yielded a ~$3,600 cost but was overly burdensome due to administrative barriers and inflated contractor pricing. The committee concluded HPWHs are best promoted for new construction, and Jon Katz agreed to summarize 2026 electrification building codes at the next meeting.
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Food Scrap Recycling: The new scrap shed arrived on 10/13/25 damaged and with defects, delaying program expansion until replaced.
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Funding and Budgeting: The committee reviewed an 11/3/25 proposal to lease half the dirt plot behind Municipal Place for a ~5 MW battery system, offering $172,000/year with a 2% escalator. The committee recommended Village staff seek competing bids from other BESS developers before proceeding. A Hessian Hills Road site was rejected due to inadequate power line hosting capacity (<300 kW).
▶ Key Actions & Decisions
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Resolutions Passed: None.
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Resolutions Failed: None.
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Applications Reviewed: None.
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Public Comments: None (noting that invited guest Jessa Mittleman, a recent resident, did not attend).
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Reports:
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EV/EVSE/Renewable Diesel: The contract with Plug-In Stations Online (PISO) to install 18 EV charge ports at the train station was signed 11/18/25; planning is underway for sections D and E (east of canopy #3 along the west side of Veterans Plaza), featuring upgraded theft-resistant cables due to rising copper thefts. The Project MOVER e-Bike program recorded 1,088 rides between July 9 and October 31; it goes into hibernation on December 19 and will restart in early April with 2 new hubs (totaling 8). The NYSERDA grant expires in 2027, with future funding potentially coming from fee changes and hub advertising. The Renewable Diesel pilot test is running smoothly and will conclude in January, transitioning all village diesel trucks to RD.
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Solar Projects: Train station solar canopy and BESS commissioning is expected by the end of December. Sol is installing bollards to protect downspouts from commuter vehicles and adding shrouds to photocells at canopy #2 to block stray light from train yard lamps. The DPW solar canopy was re-bid on 11/20/25 (bids due 12/8/25), drawing two additional vendors to a 12/1 site meeting.
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Building Electrification: Gov. Hochul suspended the state's new all-electric building code on 11/13/25 pending an appeals court decision. If reinstated, it will initially ban fossil-fuel systems in new buildings under 7 stories and less than 100,000 SF, expanding to all new buildings in 2029.
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Food Scrap Recycling: The old shed was moved 11/29/25 to Lot G (far south end of train station parking lot by the salt shed). The new shed arrived 11/10/25; DPW fixed doors and added a ramp. The program plans to expand to more households in January.
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Funding and Budgeting: A revised proposal from Luminace for a smaller BESS behind the Municipal Place facility (halved to accommodate DPW) offers about half the previous leasing rent and is under village review. Exploring the state DOT-owned wooded strip northwest of the facility between Rt. 9 and South Riverside Ave was deemed unlikely to succeed. Moving the salt shed to make room for the original BESS design was scrapped after finding the adjacent power line lacks hosting capacity. After an 18-month effort, NYPA enrolled Croton's streetlight accounts into community solar (11/25/25), applying ~$4,000 in accrued credits to zero out the Nov. Muni Bldg bill, ~$1,000 against the Dec. bill, and yielding ~$3,000 in annual savings.
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Outreach: Croton100's next quilt will feature the EV chargers and e-bike program. Sustainable Westchester pledged at the Clinton Global Initiative to add rooftop solar to 30,000 homes and canopies to 300 parking lots in the county by 2030.
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Administrative: Members must complete annual NYS-mandated Workplace Violence and Sexual Harassment training (contact pdisanto@crotononhudson-ny.gov for password resets). The committee's next meeting is Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, at 10:00 AM via Zoom following a winter recess.
▶ Key Actions & Decisions
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Resolutions Passed: None (no formal resolutions were voted on during this meeting).
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Resolutions Failed: None.
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Applications Reviewed: None.
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Public Comments: None (no guests or public attendees).
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Reports:
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EV Charging Station: Contractor PISO has applied for new electric service requiring a 100-300 kVA pole-mounted transformer. Excavation for 18 charge ports is slated for early March, with capacity for future faster chargers.
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Renewable Diesel (RD): Village Trustee Len Simon reported the 3-month pilot was successful. RD will now fuel all 18 municipal diesel vehicles, cutting the Village's carbon footprint by ~12.5%. DPW Supt. Frank Balbi was "upbeat" on results. A Village press release is expected this month.
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Train Station Solar Canopies: Third-party commissioning starts 2/16/26 with power startup by early/mid-March. A New Year's Day breaker trip that caused canopy lights to fail was resolved. The PV and BESS project sale to Altus Power is in progress with no impact on existing rent/leases.
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DPW Solar Canopy: Two new bids were received by the 12/8/25 deadline. Rivertowns' bid is preferred, but additional paperwork is required before awarding.
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State Energy Policy: The committee discussed NY State's new energy plan postponing 2040 fossil-fuel power goals and Gov. Hochul's goal of 5 GW of new nuclear capacity.
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Food Scrap Recycling: Expansion materials (two extra toters) ordered by Frank Balbi are expected next week. Cheryl Wong drafted announcements for email, newsletters, and Facebook.
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BESS 2.0: Luminace dropped its half-sized Municipal Place BESS proposal to focus on acquiring existing projects. The committee discussed issuing a new RFP. To maximize BESS size to the originally proposed 5 MW, the salt shed may be relocated to temporarily hold seasonal yard waste. Len agreed to accelerate discussions with Village officials, as commercial BESS incentives dropped from $175/kWh to $125/kWh and are first-come, first-served.
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Clean Energy Community (CEC) Grants: The NYSERDA program that previously awarded Croton >$700,000 in grants will be restored and funded via RGGI over a 4-year transition merging with the Climate Smart Community program.
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Sustainable Westchester: Announced a 2026 "Opt-In Clean Energy" program to replace the defunct opt-out Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program.
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E-Bike Sharing (Project MOVER): Phase 1 (July-Dec 2025) saw 1,374 trips across Croton hubs. The program restarts in April with two new hubs at Senasqua Park and near the Riverside Ave. overpass. $1,000 e-bike vouchers are available for families earning <$140K/yr.
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HVAC Refrigerants: Jon Katz reported a NY DEC regulatory change giving a variance until 1/1/27 for new residential/small commercial HVAC systems due to equipment rollout delays.
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Repair Café: The CAC's next Repair Café is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 28 at 11 AM at the Croton Library.
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2025 Annual Report: Lindsay Audin submitted the committee's annual summary to Bryan Healy, including budget requests for $6,000 for food scrap expansion and a grant-funded municipal solar contract for the DPW canopy.
▶ Key Actions & Decisions
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Resolutions Passed: None.
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Resolutions Failed: None.
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Applications Reviewed: None.
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Public Comments:
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Corey Cummings, a new Croton resident, participated in the meeting and agreed to research "balcony solar" systems for a report next month.
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Reports:
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Energy Prices: Wholesale power hit ~$900/MWh on 1/28/26 (vs. $320/MWh last year); local natural gas averaged over $2.25/therm in January, briefly spiking above $14/therm on 1/27/26. Officials noted the former Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) fixed pricing would have insulated residents.
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EV/EVSE: Train station EV charger installation (18 ports) continues with Con Ed; completion expected by summer. Croton led per-capita e-bike usage among six participating communities; program returns in spring with added stations.
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Solar Projects: Train station canopy third-party commissioning underway, expected full operation by March. DPW solar canopy (~$300K, fully grant-funded) stalled again due to Rivertown Solar's failure to provide required paperwork; Labor Day installation goal remains.
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Renewable Diesel: All 18 village diesel vehicles now use RD, reducing CO2 by 186 metric tons (12.5%) annually, paid from the sustainability fund (capitalized by DPW community solar revenue).
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Food Scrap Recycling: Two new toters delivered 2/19/26; program opening to all Croton residents. A textile recycling expansion proposal will be reviewed in March.
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BESS 2.0: Luminace provided a modified proposal (1/27/26) accepting easement changes. Officials discussed relocating the salt shed to Westchester County's Croton Point Park site to free Municipal Place space for yard waste and maximize BESS capacity. A Letter of Intent to lock up 5 MW of hosting capacity is being drafted, with a Zoom meeting set before March to finalize terms.
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State Funding: A proposed $1B Sustainable Future Program for low/moderate-income household electrification is not yet in the State Legislature or budget.
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Balcony Solar: Committee discussed emerging plug-in balcony solar systems (limited to 1.2 kW under proposed NYS law); Dan Columbini raised electrical/fire code concerns. Lindsay Audin will draft questions; Corey Cummings will deliver a research report at the March meeting.
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Grid Rewards: Jon Katz reported receiving $0 for minimizing usage due to his solar panels, but got $50 for doing nothing; Dave Goldman received ~$33 in credits after dropping out. Katz called the crediting system "quite flawed."
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Documentary: Archipelago Films filmed portions of the meeting for "The Little Town That Could," a Croton100-sponsored documentary on local sustainability efforts, expected to debut during NYC Climate Week in April and at the County Center on May 9.
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Repair Café: Scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 28, 11 AM at the Croton Library.
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Announcements: The committee mourned the passing of Keiko Niccolini's teenage daughter (2/15/26); Niccolini was instrumental in launching the food scrap recycling program.
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