New York’s largest solar farm is a go with $950 million in funding

Clean energy investment manager Greenbacker Renewable Energy has secured $950 million to build what will be New York State’s largest solar farm.

Greenbacker acquired the 500-megawatt (MW) Cider project from renewable energy developer Hecate Energy. Construction started in October, and the project is expected to come online in 2026.

“Greenbacker has called New York home for 14 years, and we’re proud to be both the owner of the largest solar energy project in the state’s history and a driving force in accelerating its ambitious clean energy goals,” said Charles Wheeler, CEO of Greenbacker.

Cider will sit on approximately 2,500 acres of land in Genesee County, east of Buffalo, where it began construction in late 2024. The project is expected to generate enough annual clean electricity to power around 120,000 New York households.

Greenbacker’s Cider project is one of 23 large-scale clean energy developments awarded contracts in December by the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA). New York has set a goal of sourcing 70% of its electricity from clean energy by 2030.

The Solar Energy Industries Association ranks New York 8th nationally for solar capacity. With 6,493 megawatts, it has enough solar to power 1,127,865 homes. It’s expected to move to 5th place in five years.

Read more: No other energy source came close to matching solar’s rate of growth in 2024 – in numbers

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