Solar surge: NY's renewable energy push brings big project proposals to Cayuga County

At the end of September, 333 active solar installations in Cayuga County — ranging from homes with a few panels on the roof to an array taking up 28 acres in Ledyard — were capable of generating a combined nine megawatts of power, according to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Absent from the online solar projects currently happening in the county is any large-scale commercial system. But that could be changing very soon — and it would mean exponential growth in the amount of locally generated electricity fueled by the sun's energy. Three recently proposed commercial solar projects, two in the southern end of the county and one in the northern half, would add nearly 240 megawatts to solar power capacity in Cayuga County.