New Clifton Park Solar Farm Proposal

Clifton Park has seen several community solar projects in recent years. The latest proposal on MacElroy Road has drawn both support for its clean-energy potential and opposition over local impacts.

UPDATE: May 2026

The Clifton Park Town Board is considering a six-month moratorium on applications for medium- and large-scale solar energy projects.

If approved (on May 19th, 2026), the temporary pause would prevent the town from accepting new applications for these larger solar farms. It would give officials time to review current town rules and decide whether any updates are needed amid growing developer interest.

Project Overview

Developer DG Cooley, LLC (affiliated with NextEra Energy) is seeking a Special Use Permit and site-plan approval for a 5 MW AC community solar farm on MacElroy Road (SBL 264.-3-5.1) in the Conservation-Residential zone.

The original application referenced a larger parcel; the revised concept plan presented to the Planning Board on February 10, 2026, reduces the developed solar array to approximately 19 acres.

Community Voices

Thoughts from the community, for the community.

This solar farm/array whatever is not a neighbor! As a property owner adjacent to this, I didnt purchase in this rural neighborhood location to live next to a solar farm! I have paid 40 years of taxes as a Clifton Park resident. A multi-million dollar company who could care less about Clifton Park should not be able to do this. This special use permit loophole should have been addressed when the loophole was first used for the first solar farm in our town. The location is not prepared to handle, should there be a fire. Water is not close by and a firetruck does not have access to all the panels since there is no road in their plan for them to promptly reach. Requesting to change the buffer from 100 ft to 50 ft to make it profitable for them should be a no, there are so many places for solar and this is not one of them i would gladly have tax paying residents than green toxic panels..

Literally no study, research, anything shows that the land is unusable. In fact, it’s the opposite, farmers love to use land under the panels because it is partially shaded. Plus the soil rests for 20 years and produces more after it. https://cals.cornell.edu/agrivoltaics

The promises of “lower electricity costs” aren’t coming for Clifton Park if this solar complex is built. Commercial solar, on annual average, generates at 15-18% of its potential while displacing wildlife on all sides of the complex, lowering surrounding property values, and destroying viewsheds and local tourism. The panels will degrade, leaching heavy metals and glass shards into the soil below them. The company will resell two or three times before the site needs to be decommissioned, and the task of cleaning up the destroyed land will fall on the landowners or town. There’s nothing clean about solar complexes – and the companies getting rich off green energy subsidies and credits know it.

I support solar energy, but on already-developed spots like parking lots, rooftops, and old landfills to help power individual properties. Larger-scale projects could complement that distributed model and help deliver more reliable renewable electricity overall. But this is not it.

Critics Are Saying

Fire and toxic smoke danger

Increased noise levels

Industrial solar harm

Proponents Are Saying

Local electricity savings

Clean energy production

Town revenue increase

Community Concerns

Key issues raised in the petition and at public meetings include:

Wetland buffer reduction: The applicant is requesting a reduction of the NYSDEC-mandated 100-foot wetland buffer to 50 feet. Opponents say this would remove existing vegetation that currently acts as a natural sound-dampening barrier.
Noise: Potential constant electrical humming from inverters and transformers, especially on sunny days.
Fire and safety: Current site plans show no nearby fire hydrant and no dedicated fire-truck access road. Concerns about toxic smoke if electrical equipment faults.
Visual and neighborhood character: 12-foot-tall solar panels could create an industrial appearance, shadow nearby homes, and affect the rural feel of the area.
Property values and developer origin: Fears of decreased values for adjacent residential properties; the developer is an out-of-state corporation.
Environmental: Potential for panel materials to leach chemicals into soil, with some residents relying on well water.

Sign the petitionHey, against this plan?

Possible Benefits

According to the applicant’s presentations and similar approved projects in town:

Local electricity savings: Subscribers typically receive 5–10% average monthly bill credits (based on operating Clifton Park community solar farms such as Sugar Hill).
Clean energy production: Expected to generate roughly 6–7 million kWh per year, supporting New York State’s renewable energy targets and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
Design improvements in revised plans:
- Northern setback increased to 500 feet.
- Landscaping buffer added along MacElroy Road.
- Array divided to create a 50-foot wildlife corridor.
- Pollinator-friendly seed mix and landscaping specified.
- Minimal grading; site is fully reversible and can be decommissioned back to agricultural or open-space use after the typical 25–30-year project life.
Town revenue: Standard solar PILOT-style agreements in Clifton Park provide annual payments to the town (historically around $2,500 per MW AC with 2% annual escalators).

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The project is designed as a ground-mounted, grid-connected community solar installation. Energy produced would feed directly into the National Grid, allowing local National Grid customers to subscribe for monthly bill credits with no upfront cost or long-term contract required.

Current Status

The project remains in the Revised Concept stage with the Clifton Park Planning Board. The Board has not yet scheduled a public hearing or taken final action.

Town Board member Agatha Reid responded to the petition in late February, stating the matter is before the Planning Board and she cannot officially comment or influence the outcome to avoid any appearance of bias.

If you live near MacElroy Road or want to stay informed, check cliftonparkny.gov for the latest agendas or attend the next Planning Board meeting. The town encourages residents to review the facts and participate in the process.

How much tillable/farmable land is there?

The proposal specifies a developed solar array on approximately 19 acres (reduced from earlier concepts) on the MacElroy Road parcel (SBL 264.-3-5.1) in Clifton Park’s Conservation-Residential zone. No explicit breakdown of currently tillable/farmable acres vs. wooded/wetland areas is given in the proposal documents. The site is described as “fully reversible” with minimal grading, and the developer states it can be decommissioned back to agricultural or open-space use after the project life.

How efficient are photovoltaic solar panels?

Typical commercial photovoltaic (PV) panels convert 15–25% of incoming sunlight into electricity under standard test conditions, with most modern monocrystalline panels averaging around 20% efficiency (some premium models reach 22–24%). Laboratory efficiencies are higher (up to ~47% in research), but these are not used in commercial installations. Real-world performance is lower due to temperature, dirt, and weather.

What is the difference between photovoltaic and hot water solar?

Photovoltaic (PV) solar: Uses semiconductor cells to convert sunlight directly into electricity. It powers homes, businesses, or the grid. Typical efficiency: ~15–25%.

Solar hot water (solar thermal): Absorbs sunlight as heat to warm a fluid (water or antifreeze), which is then used for domestic hot water, space heating, or pools. Typical efficiency for heat production: 50–80% (much higher than PV, but it produces thermal energy only, not electricity).

What is the life expectancy of a solar panel?

Most manufacturers warrant panels for 25–30 years, and the average operational lifespan is now estimated at 25–35 years (up from ~20 years a decade ago). Panels can continue producing power beyond this at reduced output.

How many peak sun hours does NY get a day?

Solar production is measured in peak sun hours (equivalent hours of full 1,000 W/m² sunlight). In the Clifton Park/Albany/Saratoga County area, the annual average is approximately 3.8–4.5 peak sun hours per day (~1,400 kWh/m²/year total insolation). This equates to roughly 60–70 clear/full-sun days per year in upstate NY, with many more partly sunny days. Summer months see higher values (~5–6 hours); winter sees lower (~2–3 hours).

Where do solar panels go after they die?

– Recycled (preferred and increasingly common): ~90–95% of materials (glass ~75% of weight, aluminum frames, copper wiring, and silicon cells) can be recovered and reused. There are over 20 U.S. facilities handling PV recycling.
– Refurbished/reused in secondary markets (e.g., off-grid or lower-income applications) if still functional.
– Landfilled as a last resort if non-hazardous per EPA’s Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) test. Most crystalline silicon panels pass as non-hazardous.

Currently, global recycling rates are low (~5–10%), but U.S. infrastructure is expanding due to state policies and federal incentives. The EPA regulates them as solid waste (potentially hazardous in some cases). Recycling costs $15–45 per panel vs. $1–5 for landfill, which is why landfill still occurs in some areas