Green Landscaping – The Hudson Indy Westchester’s Rivertowns News –

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July 15, 2022

By Dean Gallea

Tarrytown has received a $5000 grant from NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Communities program, an incentive program for municipalities to take actions that further the State’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. The grant was awarded in response to the Village’s success in promoting Sustainable Westchester’s EnergySmart Homes community campaign to homeowners. Enough of us responded – by switching from gas- or oil-fired heat to electric heat pumps, or by adding significant energy-efficient upgrades to their homes – to qualify for the grant. The money is being used to purchase electric-powered landscape-maintenance equipment for the Village Dept of Parks and Recreation. According to Parks Foreman Anthony Ross, the Village will buy two commercial-grade electric lawn mowers, along with several high-power electric leaf blowers, plus additional equipment including extra batteries and chargers.

Anthony also mentioned an ambitious, if tentative plan to build, somewhere on public property, a storage shed with a solar roof and batteries. That would allow charging landscape equipment without the need for connection to grid power, using a mini version of a DC microgrid. Microgrids are a concept that will become more useful as the build-out of distributed renewable power generation gains momentum. The energy storage within a microgrid will let communities ride out failures of the main power grid, as well as increase the overall efficiency of renewable energy distribution.

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The Tarrytown Environmental Advisory Council (TEAC) is a volunteer, citizen-led committee established by the Village of Tarrytown in 1974 to advise the mayor, the Board of Trustees and other local boards on environmental matters.

tarrytownenvironmental.org

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