Garnet Energy Center » FAQs about the Garnet Energy Center

What is the Garnet Energy Center?

Located in the town of Conquest in Cayuga County, N.Y., the Garnet Energy Center is a proposed 200-megawatt photovoltaic solar energy generating facility.

The town of Conquest possesses the critical elements required for a strong solar and energy storage project, including a strong solar resource, existing road infrastructure, access to transmission infrastructure, and available land in an area well-suited environmentally to host such a project.

The Garnet Energy Center is proposed by NextEra Energy, Inc., the world’s largest generator of energy from the wind and sun.

How much land will it take up?

The project would be expected to use approximately 2,000 acres

Where will the power go? Do you have a customer for this project?

Electricity is expected to be delivered into the wholesale market and delivered to customers in Upstate New York. Commercial discussions are on-going, and we have no further comment currently.

How much energy will the Garnet Energy Center generate?

The Garnet Energy Center will generate 200 megawatts of solar energy and is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by an average of 300,000 tons every year. This is the equivalent of taking more than 50,000 cars off the road. Furthermore, the 200-megawatt solar facility will produce electricity without creating air or water pollution and without the use of water for generation.

How many panels will be used?

As solar technology is rapidly advancing; it is not possible at this time to determine the exact module type or count that will be used for this project.

Where will the interconnection be?

Interconnection options are currently being evaluated and will be presented in the project’s permitting documents.

Will people be able to see this facility?

The majority of project is not anticipated to be visible from the nearby roadside due to significant visual setbacks from road and the use of vegetation that will form a visual screen.

Additionally, NextEra Energy is aware of differences in elevation that may make the project visible from long distances. As part of the state’s permitting process, we will conduct a viewshed assessment and line of sight analysis.

How will the local community benefit from this project?

The Garnet Energy Center has the potential to deliver new jobs, long-term revenue, and economic development to Cayuga County and the town of Conquest.

What specific benefits will the project bring?

The project is expected to bring numerous benefits to the region through a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement, which will provide revenue to the county, town and schools to invest in infrastructure, additional services, and resources for residents

The project will create three to four full-time positions and 250+ jobs during construction. There will be opportunities for local businesses to supply materials to support construction of the project, and service industry businesses such as hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues will benefit from an increase in worker activity throughout construction.

The Garnet Energy Center’s goal is to hire as many workers as possible from the local area. The project will invest a significant amount of money in construction labor, creating employment opportunities for those in the construction trades, including equipment operators, truck drivers, laborers, and electricians.

Why Conquest, N.Y.?

When will setback requirements for all types of roads be shared and will they be negotiable?

The proposed arrays will be set back a minimum of 250 feet from non-participating residences and, in many cases, greater distances. Additionally, the arrays will be set back a minimum of 50 feet from all roadways and a minimum of 100 feet from non-participating residential property lines. These areas may continue to be utilized as they are today and as the landowner see fit.

Garnet has strived to maximize the setbacks given environmental, engineering and other constraints. The Applicant is open to discuss the proposed setbacks with adjacent landowners, considering the other environmental, engineering and land availability constraints existing in the Project Area.

Further information about the visual impact assessment and predicted Project visibility and proposed mitigation will be presented in the Project’s application.

Are we able to know if additional parcels are being considered?

Commercially sensitive negotiations with private landowners are confidential. When the rights to the parcels are formally acquired to be added to the Project Area, they will be formally presented in the proceeding, as were additions that were presented during the Open House and shown on the Project website.

What is NextEra Energy Resources?

NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, together with its affiliated entity, NextEra Energy Resources, is a clean energy leader and one of the largest wholesale generators of electric power in the U.S., with approximately 21,000 megawatts of net generating capacity, primarily in 36 states and Canada as of year-end 2018. NextEra Energy Resources, together with its affiliated entities, is the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun and a world leader in energy storage.

The following are questions and answers that were raised during a Garnet Energy Center Open House on March 29, 2022.

Will there be excessive glare from the solar panels?

No, there will not be excessive glare and predicted glare will be consistent with recommended criteria adopted by the Siting Board for other solar projects. As a part of the Article 10 application process for the Garnet Energy Center, a Glint and Glare Study was conducted. Results of that study are available in Appendix 24-2 of the Article 10 application. Additionally, a detailed Glare Mitigation Plan is also available in Appendix 24-3 of the Article 10 application, which is available here on the project website.

Will there be continued evaluation of visual mitigation plantings during operations of the Garnet Energy Center project?

A detailed Landscaping Plan was developed as part of the Article 10 application process for the Garnet Energy Center and can be found in Appendix 11-2 of Exhibit 11. The Landscaping Plan for vegetative mitigation has been developed to provide year-round screening that is sustainable, hearty, and resilient. Expected growth heights of landscape plantings (depending on the specific tree or shrub species) are expected to be between 5 to 15 feet at 5 years. However, fully mature heights of the year-round coniferous species may reach up to 40 feet high. Landscaping notes in the Project’s Landscaping Plan provide further direction, recommendations, insight, and guidelines to ensure a healthy, viable, and sustainable landscape throughout the life cycle of the Project to the maximum extent practicable. Annual Operation and Maintenance will be provided to ensure proper care and attention is given to the proposed plantings once they have been installed.

Landscape plantings will be inspected for five years following installations to identify any plant materials that did not survive, appear unhealthy, and/or otherwise need to be replaced. At the end of the first five years following the commencement of commercial operation, Garnet Energy Center will submit a list to the Town of plantings and location where plantings have failed and replacements have been installed. Visual mitigation plantings will be reviewed as part of routine maintenance following the five-year monitoring period to evaluate the health and condition of the plantings.

Will there be consideration of the impact on migratory Canada Geese & Snow Geese from the project?

Migrating Canada geese and snow geese often stop to feed in open agricultural fields during Spring and Fall migrations. The Project has been sited to avoid or minimize impacts to agricultural resources to the maximum extent practicable and occupies approximately 0.3% of all lands designated as Agricultural Districts within the County and approximately 5.0% of all lands designated as Agricultural Districts within the Town of Conquest. For more information about migrating Canada and snow geese a Breeding Bird Survey which was submitted as Appendix 22-2 of the Application, which is available here on the project website.

Who will oversee the decommissioning of the project?

The Department of Public Service will oversee the decommissioning of the Project by the Certificate Holder. A detailed Decommissioning and Restoration Plan was filed in the Project’s Article 10 Application and can be found in Appendix 29-1 of the Application, which is available here on the Project website. The Town of Conquest will be issued a letter of credit to financially secure Garnet’s implementation of decommissioning.

As described in the plan, there will be an Environmental Monitor onsite during decommissioning, and coordination with NYS Department of Ag & Markets (NYSDAM) and the Cayuga County Soil & Water Conservation District so NYSDAM Guidelines are employed to guide the decommissioning and restoration process.

Will there be significant long-term loss of farmland due to the project?

The Project avoids or minimizes impacts to agricultural resources to the maximum extent practicable. There are approximately 360,723.7 acres of land designated as Agricultural Districts within Cayuga County and approximately 17,949.8 acres within the Town. The Project’s 901.6-acre fenced-in area will occupy approximately 0.3% of all lands designated as Agricultural Districts within the County and approximately 5.0% of all lands designated as Agricultural Districts within the Town. The proposed Project’s use of active farmland, therefore, will be insignificant compared to the amount of farmland at the Town and County levels.

Within the Project area, which encompasses approximately 1,054.1 acres, there are approximately 492.2 acres classified as Prime Farmland Soil (generally classified as mineral soil groups 1 through 4). This accounts for only 0.25% of all Prime Farmland within the County and 6.5% of all Prime Farmland within the Town.

Solar development is not considered a permanent conversion of farmland, such as a building like a shopping mall or other fixture may be. Permanent impacts to Prime Farmland amount only to approximately 11.6 acres. Permanent impacts, therefore, amount to 2.6% of Prime Farmland within the project area.

In addition, Garnet Energy Center has agreed to Certificate Conditions and SEEP Guide avoidance and minimization measures addressing potential impacts to agricultural resources that have previously been adopted by the Siting Board in other Article 10 proceedings as well as decommissioning requirements. See Certificate Conditions 20(a), 57(g), 66(f), 77, 88(a), 95, 96, 102(d); SEEP Guide at §§ A.7.a., A.7.e.i., B.2., B.6.d., B.10., B.12.a.xi., B.17.d.ii. Upon decommissioning, the Solar Guidelines also provide that all above-ground structures and underground facilities less than 48 inches deep be removed. Access roads in agricultural areas must be removed unless otherwise specified by the landowner; all disturbed topsoil would be restored to a state that would allow for agricultural production if the landowner so chooses.

In January 2022, Garnet Energy Center updated its Article 10 Application, reducing the scale of the Project by 185 acres of solar arrays. This resulted in an overall reduction of 37 acres of Prime Farmland within the areas of disturbance; the Project’s current area of disturbance encompasses approximately 492.2 acres of Prime Farmland, with permanent impacts to Prime Farmland amounting to approximately 12.6 acres. This impact amounts to approximately 2.6% of Prime Farmland within the area, which is well within AGM’s goal of limiting “conversion” of agricultural areas in areas of disturbance to no more than 10% of Prime Farmland soils. As set forth in the proposed Certificate Conditions, the rest of the agricultural land will be restored and maintained in compliance with AGM’s Solar Guidelines to the maximum extent practicable.

Is there a plan for safety, noise & visual mitigation of battery storage units?

Because the battery storage units are part of the overall project, the Article 10 process requires safety and visual mitigation plans that would also include the battery storage units. There is also a specific noise analysis of battery storage units that can be found in Appendix 19-8 of the Article 10 application, which is available here on the project website. Additionally, an Energy Storage Data Sheet can be found for the battery storage units in Appendix 2-4.

As a part of the Project’s proposed Certificate Conditions, Garnet Energy Center will conduct a local fire and first responders training, educating participants on project components, shutoff procedures and locations, operational contacts, emergency contacts, precautions, emergency situations and public safety. Additionally, an official preliminary Emergency Response Plan (ERP) can be found in Appendix 18-2 of the Article 10 application, which is available here on the project website.

Is there a plan for traffic safety during construction?

Road use and repair and traffic control will be coordinated at the local level to assure that safety, congestion, and damage to roadways in the area is avoided, minimized, or repaired. Garnet expects to negotiate Road Use Agreements with the Town of Conquest, and Cayuga County as applicable, to coordinate road use and repair.

Additionally, as part of the Article 10 permitting process, an analysis and evaluation of the traffic and transportation impacts of the facility was performed. A detailed evaluation of the Project’s effect on transportation is also available in Appendix 25 of the Article 10 application, which is available here on the project website. The analysis found that no significant traffic congestion is predicted for any phase of the Project.

Will there be a significant amount of local construction jobs created by the project?

Yes, the project will create more than 250 jobs during construction. There will be opportunities for local businesses to supply materials to support the construction of the project. As to construction labor, the Project will create employment opportunities for those in the construction trades, including equipment operators, truck drivers, laborers, and electricians. Garnet Energy Center will pay all prevailing wage rates according with NYS law.

Is Garnet working with local first responders on an emergency response plan?

Yes, as part of the proposed Certificate Conditions, Garnet has submitted a Preliminary Emergency Response plan. The plan can be found in Appendix 18-2 of the Article 10 application, which is available here on the project website.

Additionally, as a part of the Project’s proposed Certificate Conditions, Garnet Energy Center will conduct a local fire and first responders training, educating participants on project components, shutoff procedures and locations, operational contacts, emergency contacts, precautions, emergency situations and public safety.