Solar Farm Proposed in Hartwick
By ERIC SANTOMAURO-STENZEL
HARTWICK
SolAmerica Energy, a Georgia based solar energy company with projects across the country including in New York, gave an initial presentation on a potential new solar field to the Town of Hartwick Planning Board on February 3.
The project would be built on around 12.8 acres near the intersection of Greenough Road and Dobbs Hill Road. The land, owned by Casa Vista LLC, is currently a field.
“We are looking at doing a project within your jurisdiction,” SolAmerica representative Hurel Johnson told Planning Board members. “Our goal was to make sure that we understood fully your requirements for the site plan review process.”
A formal application has not been filed yet. Johnson said he anticipated an application for site plan review would be submitted around April or May of this year.
The company estimates the project would produce 2 MW of power, with construction beginning in Q2 2027 if approved and concluding six to nine months later. It would include 5,568 solar panels which rotate to track the sun. The energy would go into the NYSEG grid.
SolAmerica would be responsible for all phases of the project: construction, active use and decommission.
“We will provide, where necessary, vegetative screening around the project” to obscure the panels, Johnson said.
Johnson said the project would be a several million dollar investment, and where possible would hire local labor.
At its end of life in 30 to 35 years, Johnson said, the company will be responsible for removing the added infrastructure and restoring the property to its natural state if necessary.
“If it’s decided to decommission the site, we would start that decommissioning process which can take up to at most six months,” Johnson said. “As you know, the purpose of the decommissioning is to pull out all of the equipment and restore, return the land to its original condition.
Some Planning Board members said the company should anticipate resistance to the proposal from nearby residents. Johnson said he was hoping to get input from the Planning Board.
This article was updated on 02/19/2026.
As a former resident of Hartwick, this project worries me. I recommend that the voters of the Town of Hartwick be VERY CAUTIOUS about allowing this, ESPECIALLY if they are proposing that the Town end up with owning the solar panels! Someone is going to have to pay to get rid of those panels once they aren’t effective anymore. It could mean a big BROWNFIELD project that the Town will not want to (or afford to) pay for. As I understand it, solar panels only are good for about 20 years and each year that they are up, they produce less and less electricity. PLEASE make a point of actually having a conversation with other towns and individuals that have done business with this firm to make sure they follow through with their promises and get EVERY promise in a written contract.