New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday that three state-operated ski areas are going solar. Belleayre, Gore and Whiteface mountains will all start to use solar power for running lifts and making snow. The resorts are only a part of Cuomo's larger initiative to boost the state's solar industry, but according to the press release, it'll also save the mountains some change. Gore Mountain could see a $213,000 energy savings in the first year, and all three combined could save as much as $14 million during the course of the 25-year deal.
The state and the Olympic Regional Development Authority, which operates the facilities used in the 1980 Winter Games at Lake Placid, including the resorts, entered into a 25-year power purchase agreement with Borrego Solar for the project.
Gore Mountain is the largest of three — though that's only about 420 skiable acres — and was using about 13-million kilowatt hours of power per year, costing about $1 million.
"With this initiative ORDA will substantially reduce its carbon footprint essentially akin to removing over 46,000 cars from the road over the life of the agreement," ORDA chairman Pat Barrett said in the release. "We want to make sure that this wonderful recreational sport stays around for generations to come."
"This exciting news is just one more reason to visit one of New York's premier ski resorts this winter," Cuomo said in the release.
· Governor Cuomo Announces Solar Energy to Power Belleayre, Gore and Whiteface Ski Centers [Press release]
· Sustainability Watch [Curbed Ski]