Clarkstown Receives 1st Payment for Signing onto Program to Reduce Electric Consumption

Clarkstown Town officials have made $6,209.24 and the next payment of $3,500 is due under a new program that brings in revenue by taking Town Hall out of the New York State electric power grid at certain peak times.

It’s such a smart program that the town will enroll three more Town buildings—Central Nyack Community Center, Congers Community Center, and Pascack Community Center.

With all four, the town could receive nearly $40,000 on an annual and ongoing basis just for agreeing to be a part of the program. There would be a separate, additional payment every time the town is called on to actually go off the grid.

Here’s the full press release:

Clarkstown Supervisor Alex Gromack announced the Town of Clarkstown has taken steps to assist the New York State electric grid operator’s reliability and sustainability program goals, by agreeing to reduce electric consumption during peak load events. The Town is able to do so by using its generators to power Town Hall during peak events, therefore, removing the building from the grid. Clarkstown received their first payment in the amount of $6,209.24 and is expected to receive another $3,500 for the next payment.

Supervisor Alex Gromack said, “The Town has always been a leader in environmental initiatives. The Demand Response Program was the perfect opportunity for Clarkstown to meet our goals of reducing carbon emissions and increasing sustainability, while most importantly generating revenue for the Town.”

The Town enrolled its Town Hall building in the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) New York Installed Capacity (ICAP) Special Case Resources (SCR) demand response program, with Demand Response Partners, Inc. (DRP) a demand response service provider. The benefits of the Town enrolling in such a program include lowering carbon emissions, increasing sustainability by ensuring grid reliability, and reducing the need to construct new power plants that can burden ratepayers for decades. Clarkstown is able to financially benefit from participation in the program, while also positively impacting the environment.

“It’s a win for all parties involved” says DRP President, Carl Almeter. “Demand Response programs help to maintain grid reliability by reducing load during peak demand times. This is extremely important because it helps to stabilize the grid by lowering the demand for electricity when grid emergencies take place. Enrolled facilities, ratepayers and the public all benefit from Clarkstown’s participation. Demand Response programs are an alternative to having to create more supply from generating power plants during peak load periods at increased energy prices, which also impacts our environment. We applaud the Town’s environmental stewardship.”

The Town is in the process of enrolling three additional Town buildings (Central Nyack Community Center, Congers Community Center, and Pascack Community Center) into the program, which have the potential to generate significantly more revenue. The Town stands to generate nearly $40,000 on an annual and ongoing basis for agreeing to be a part of this important program. This revenue is simply for agreeing to participate in the program and proving that the facilities have the ability to meet their curtailment obligations by participating in a one hour test event twice a year. If actual demand response events are called there is an additional revenue stream.