Hudson Valley Community Power Announces COVID-19 Relief Campaign for New Paltz and Marbletown

COMMUNITY SOLAR ENROLLMENT EARNS NEW Paltz AND MARBLETOWN LOCAL COVID-19 RELIEF FUNDS 

Hudson Valley, NY (June 10, 2020)— Hudson Valley Community Power has changed its giving back model to support local organizations providing COVID-19 relief in the Towns of New Paltz and Marbletown. For each subscription to community solar, $50 will be donated to select local relief efforts. The towns are actively promoting this campaign to enable residents and small businesses to support local renewable energy generation, lower their electricity costs and help relieve those hit hardest by the pandemic. 

Across the country, local organizations are supporting their communities in many ways, including food banks and social support programs, to help millions of Americans get through the significant hardship caused by COVID-19. Hudson Valley Community Power is pleased to support the Family of New Paltz who provides confidential and fully accessible crisis intervention in the Town of New Paltz and the Rondout Valley Food Pantry in the Town of Marbletown. 

Prior to the pandemic, Joule established community solar programs in New York State that allowed residents to profit from renewable energy by spending less on electricity and generating funds for municipalities to put toward locally selected sustainability initiatives, bringing residents together around a common cause. “We are proud to be able to adjust our offering to better serve communities in these challenging times by supporting local relief efforts providing critical services,” says Joule CEO Mike Gordon. 

This past year, the Hudson Valley Community Power’s municipal partners helped raise over $32,000 for sustainability funds for multiple projects in Ulster, Dutchess and Putnam Counties. In this model of giving back to municipal sustainability funds, the action of hundreds of individual subscribers allows all local community members, businesses, and residents to benefit from this design of renewable energy project.  

Hudson Valley Community Power will be working alongside municipal leaders to facilitate enrollment for residents and small businesses within Central Hudson territory. Enrolling in community solar allows our residents (renters and owners) and small businesses to:

Community solar enrollment is not in conflict with current Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) programs running in Hudson Valley Community Power communities. Community solar and CCA work together to increase savings for residents and small businesses. Unlike CCA, which is an opt-out program, community solar requires active enrollment.

This COVID-19 Relief Campaign is held in partnership with Ampion Renewable Energy, who is working with solar farms throughout New York State. As capacity is limited in local solar farms, it is important to get enrolled as soon as possible.  

 Learn more on the Hudson Valley Community Power website, or to ask questions, get help with enrollment or find out how your community can get involved, call us at (845) 859–9099.

About Hudson Valley Community Power
Hudson Valley Community Power is a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program comprised of nine communities in New York's Hudson Valley and formed in partnership with Joule Community Power. The program enables participating communities to pool local electricity demand in order to leverage the collective buying power of their residents and small businesses in effort to secure more favorable energy supply rates and designate renewable generation sources. The participating communities include City of Beacon, Village of Cold Spring, Town of Fishkill, Town of Marbletown, Town of New Paltz, Village of New Paltz, Town of Philipstown, City of Poughkeepsie, and Town of Red Hook. For more information, visit hudsonvalleycommunitypower.com.

About Joule Community Power
Joule Community Power (Joule) is leading the energy paradigm shift in New York State by guiding municipalities and residents towards reduced energy costs through local energy independence and 100% clean energy. Joule’s first-of-kind, integrated program pools local demand to broker cheaper energy supply contracts for residents and small businesses. The program further unlocks new revenue opportunities from participation in renewable energy markets in addition to rapid customer acquisition for solar developers at scale. Joule’s expertise in designing and implementing new consumer-protective energy supply contracts was instrumental in the creation of New York State’s first Community Choice Aggregation (or “CCA”). As a pilot program, Westchester Power, saved residents more than $17M in the first contract and was the largest purchase of renewable energy in New York state history at the time, on behalf of more than 100,000 homes. Having created the blueprint to guide communities through a smooth and empowering decision process, Joule aims to scale its successful CCA model across NY State and beyond. Joule Community is 100% owned and operated by Joule Assets Inc. 

About Ampion Renewable Energy
Ampion is a Public Benefits Corporation whose mission is to make it easy for everyone to access clean, renewable energy. Ampion is working to see real progress in the fight against climate change. We’re committed to operating in a way that produces sustainable value to all of our stakeholders: our neighbors in the communities we serve, our employees, our investors, and our business partners.  Our success is defined by how well we serve the greater good, not just the profits we earn. Ampion provides the most experienced and reliable turn-key solution for comprehensively managing community solar assets. For more information, visit Ampion.net or call 800-277-3641

Family of New Paltz
The Family of New Paltzprovides confidential and fully accessible crisis intervention through shelters, emergency food pantries, domestic violence services, court advocates, counseling and case management services, hotlines, and childcare support.

The RVFP’s mission is to provide nourishment, offer education, and advocate for those in need while treating all who seek assistance with dignity, respect and compassion. Founded in 1990, staffed entirely by volunteers, and supported by local businesses, civic and religious organizations, and dedicated individuals, RVFP serves families and individuals residing in the Rondout Valley School District.