The Corridor Journal of Strategic Alliances Sustainable Energy & The Environment | Page 8

Suffolk Leads Region in
Clean Energy Initiatives
Lisa Broughton

While Suffolk County is made up of 1.5 million residents
and is larger than 13 states and most U.S. cities, it lacks the
legislative powers of a state and the planning/zoningpowers
of cities and towns. So, as the largest municipal entity on an
island with multiple government layers, Suffolk County has (1)
led by example in its efforts to increase the use of clean energy
and decrease the regional carbon footprint, and (2) through
the Suffolk County Planning Commission spearheaded intermunicipal efforts to develop municipal codes that reduce
obstacles to renewable energy installation and help create
green jobs.
As a Town Supervisor, County Executive Steven Bellone
provided regional and national leadership in the greening
of residential buildings, with the development of the Green
Homes program. Now working at the County level, Suffolk
County is greening its own buildings and fleet and is sharing
its best practices and expertise on how best to accomplish
such renovations. As part of a larger regional and statewide
response to climate change, the County recently commissioned
a Suffolk County Climate Action Plan, as part of the NYS DEC
Climate Smart Communities Program.
Suffolk is unique in its creation of a multi-department Energy
Initiatives Working Group which includes county stake holders
who focus on policy, engineering, budgeting legislature and
procurement. The Group meets quarterly and plans for and
implements energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.
The Group’s work has resulted in total annual energy and
carbon reductions that translate to recurring annual savings
for the county of $4.8 million. The County has more than 400
buildings and over 5 million square feet of air-conditioned
space, so the focus has been on the 20 largest energy users,
which represent about 75% of the County’s energy use. Efforts
to date have brought energy use reductions in those buildings
of between 30 and 60%.
The County has virtually eliminated its use of fuel oil for heating,
while using innovative and conventional methods to update
its building inventory. It has installed condensing boilers,
lighting upgrades, occupancy sensors, HVAC upgrades, and
new windows. It has been the leading government participant
in LIPA efficiency programs and has received more than $4
million in rebates. While moving toward real-time monitoring
of many of these projects, the County is fulfilling a long-term
goal of web-based GIS interface and a dashboard of Building
Automation Systems to monitor/control energy use throughout
its entire building inventory.
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There is also a
commitment
to
use
emergent
technologies
and
systems,
using
county
facilities
to
demonstrate
i n n o v a t i v e
technology.
Some
future projects include
ice storage, fuel cell
systems and microturbines.
Suffolk County has
also made its mark as
the host of significant
solar PV projects. As
part of the original 50
Megawatt Solar RFP
offered by LIPA, Suffolk County hosts 12.8 MW on six County
parking lots, bringing in $315,800 each year, while continuing
to use the parking lots. A second 4.2 MW project, part of LIPA’s
Feed-In-Tariff 2, will be constructed at the County’s airport in
Westhampton and will generate about $186,000 in revenue
annually. There are also about 250 kW in rooftop solar projects
on seven county buildings, and solar lighting in the parking lot
of the Department of Public Works Headquarters.
As the county updates its fleet of 2,000 non-emergency
vehicles, it also seeks to “green the fleet”. The County has
introduced 110 hybrid electric (HEV) light-duty vehicles and
compressed natural gas heavy (CNG) and light vehicles. It
also hosts two publically accessible, fast-fill CNG stations at
County facilities. The County will participate in the regional
initiative to create an east-west EV charging station corridor
on Long Island.
With all of these efforts continuing and expanding, the County
has committed to a 20 percent Greenhouse Gas emissions
reduction target by 2020 from the 2005 baseline.
Renewable Energy is Driven by Model Codes, Less Red-Tape
Since government operations make up a small portion of
the overall carbon footprint of the region, the Suffolk County
Planning Commission has taken a leadership role in developing
codes for renewable energy installations that have and will
enable thousands of residents and business to “go green.”

The first effort, a Long Island Unified Solar Code, removed
obstacles to residential solar installations in both Nassau and
Suffolk, and was adopted by all 10 of Suffolk County’s towns.
Significantly, the Suffolk County Planning Commission worked
closely with town planners and elected officials to develop a
unified code that would be streamlined and effective. This
has resulted in significant increases in solar installations and
well as accolades from around the state and country, with
the Long Island model being used by New York State as an
example for other regions of the state to follow. Suffolk County
was awarded a National Association of Counties (NACo)
Achievement Award for the County Planning Commission’s
efforts to create the LI Un