77 solar panels dedicated at 4-H Fairgrounds

Project expected to save Extension $4,000 a year

Photo by Katie Oakes: Officiating in a ribbon cutting Thursday afternoon to dedicate installation of solar panels on the Knights Building at Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds are, from left, Orleans County Legislator Bill Eick; Cooperative Extension board president Marlene Seielstad; Eileen Banker, representing Assemblyman Steve Hawley; Rich Marino of Horseheads, chair of the board of Everybody Solar; and Robert Batt, executive director of Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension.

KNOWLESVILLE – There was no mistaking Robert Batt’s joy on Thursday as he checked his phone and learned the newly-installed solar panels on the roof of the Knights Building had generated more than enough power by noon to power a home for a day. The carbon offset to the environment is equal to planting one tree, Batt added. The panels were activated two days prior.

Batt presided at a ceremony at 1 p.m. Thursday to dedicate the solar panels, which included Rich Marino, chair of the board of Everybody Solar; Marlene Seielstad, chair of the board of Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension; Legislator Bill Eick; and Eileen Banker, representing Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

Batt said it has taken them nearly 30 years to get to the point of activating the solar project.

“In 1996, I was a youth representative on the fair committee and I heard leaders discussing solar energy,” Batt said. “One leader said roofs are a waste if they are not used to generate solar power. This has been a dream of ours for 30 years, but cost prohibited us from doing it.”

In 2020, while at a YMCA camp, Batt met a counselor who knew about Everybody Solar, a company that seeks out non-profits and solicits money from donors who are passionate about climate change.

Batt was immediately intrigued and contacted Everybody Solar. That set the wheels in motion, which culminated in the ceremony Thursday to dedicate installation of 77 solar panels on the roof of the Knights Building at Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds.

“The power they generate will offset our electric bill for the entire fairgrounds,” Batt said.

Marino said the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds is the third major project for Everybody Solar in New York state. The other two are the Ithaca Science Center and YMCA in Penn Yan. He acknowledged substantial donations from the Rochester Community Foundation and $30,000 from Cargill, in addition to individual donors which made the project a reality at the fairgrounds.

He explained Everybody Solar has done solar installations from Maine to Florida and California for worthy organizations, including homeless shelters, Native American communities and in Glacier National Park.

“This is our first agriculturally-centered project,” Marino said.  “We are proud to be part of this.”

Photos by Ginny Kropf: (Left) Robert Batt, director of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County, welcomes people to the fairgrounds Thursday to witness the dedication of solar panels on the roof of the Knights Building. (Right) Robert Batt is all smiles as he checks the app on his phone Thursday and discovers the newly-activated solar panels on the Knights Building have already generated 37.2 kilowatts of power as of 1 p.m. Thursday. It takes about 30 kilowatts to power a home for a day.

Seielstad addressed the crowd, commending those who worked on the project.

“This is a way we are bringing the past into the future,” she said.

She acknowledged two volunteers whose efforts were crucial in making the solar project a reality, Marty Zwifka, who chairs the fair committee, and Charlie Ricci, who chairs the property committee.

“The power saved by this project will enable us to invest in other projects that will better our fairgrounds,” Seielstad said.

Representing Assemblyman Steve Hawley, Banker presented Batt with a proclamation and thank him for his forward-thinking project.

County Legislator Bill Eick also commended Batt and the Cooperative Extension board, on which both he and Legislator Ed Morton sit.

“This will be a big asset to the fairgrounds,” Eick said.

Final speaker was Nate Bureau with Paradise Energy, the company which installed the panels.

He explained the inverter on the wall of the Knights Building, which converts power to AC and sends it into the grid, and answered questions about the life of solar panels and their ability to stand up to hail. He said when the panels produce more power than the fairgrounds can use, it kicks it into the grid. When the fairgrounds demands more power, it will pull it back off.”

“Projects like this are so important to us,” Bureau said. “We love it when we get the opportunity to work with companies like Everybody Solar to make good things happen. It is pretty cool.”

He explained solar panels are quite hardy and have a life span of 30 to 35 years, while the inverter may last between 10 and 15 years, perhaps even 20.

In a prior press release, Batt stated they are thrilled to be going solar and taking a leadership role in sustainability.

“We are excited to see the positive impact this project will have on our community and our mission to provide relevant, accessible and research-based information to grow confident youth and successful farms and gardens for a strong and healthy community,” he said.

The power generated annually by the solar panels will prevent 45,535 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, Batt said. This is the equivalent to averting the greenhouse gas emissions of 2,324 gallons of consumed gasoline.

He explained each dollar saved helps cover operating expenses and provides resources to the organization’s various programs. For example, $1,000 in savings will allow OCCCE to invest in improvements to livestock housing and show supplies, and increase hands-on components in educational workshops. Overall, the system is anticipated to save OCCCE more than $4,000 in the first year alone.