A few passing clouds. Low 39F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph..
A few passing clouds. Low 39F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.
Updated: May 10, 2026 @ 7:17 pm
A solar farm can be seen from Mohr Road in the town of Florida Wednesday, November 20, 2024. The Clifton Park Town Board is considering a six-month moratorium on solar-energy-system applications.
Saratoga County reporter
A solar farm can be seen from Mohr Road in the town of Florida Wednesday, November 20, 2024. The Clifton Park Town Board is considering a six-month moratorium on solar-energy-system applications.
CLIFTON PARK — The Clifton Park Town Board is considering a six-month moratorium on solar-energy-system applications as developers continue to seek to cover more acreage with the technology.
The moratorium would specifically prohibit Tier 2 and Tier 3 solar energy system applications for 180 days. The town classifies Tier 2 and Tier 3 systems as medium- to large-scale ground-mounted installations, including solar facilities that involve substantial land area, electrical interconnection infrastructure and long-term land conversion.
Residents who spoke in opposition to the moratorium at Monday’s public hearing said the town should consider solar projects on a case-by-case basis rather than impose a sweeping moratorium. Residents who spoke against the moratorium also said solar projects bring in revenue to the town and landowners, supplement the need for affordable, renewable energy sources, and bolster the power grid supply.
“We have to get our power from somewhere, and we should be getting it from the cheapest, cleanest, least polluting sources,” Mary Lou Classen said Monday on behalf of the Saratoga County League of Women Voters.
The resolution primarily sites the need to safeguard farmland and wetlands as the rationale for the moratorium.
“Voting yes on the moratorium will allow the town board to properly reevaluate their town codes as they pertain to community solar arrays,” said Francis Florio of Ballston Lake.
The town is reviewing its draft Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan, soon to be adopted and incorporated into the town’s Comprehensive Plan, another rationale behind the moratorium, according to the resolution.
The Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan includes recommendations to restrict solar development on farmland in Clifton Park. Specifically, the plan calls for updates to the town’s zoning laws which would significantly prohibit solar array development on agricultural lands based on the state Department of Agriculture and Market’s guidance against larger scale solar energy system installation on soils classified as prime farmland or prime soil.
The plan also recommends solar systems not be installed where they would block views or be within a 1000 feet of state or federal wetlands.
Town Supervisor Phil Barrett said the town has preserved 2,000 acres of property permanently since he’s been in office. “Probably our largest competitor in recent years is green energy,” said Barrett at the public hearing. “It’s been a big competitor to our open space preservation.”
The Town of Clifton Park currently has three operating solar arrays, including the seven-megawatt Sugar Hill Solar farm, the three-megawatt array on Blue Barns Road, and the 996.5 kilowatt array on a portion of the town landfill on Vischer Ferry Road.
Consideration of a moratorium comes as the most recently proposed 5- megawatt, 19-acre solar array project on MacElroy Road in Clifton Park is under review by the town planning board. The originally proposed application has been revised since December and would require a Department of Environmental Conservation permit for its 50 foot buffer from wetlands.
Residents and homeowners raised concerns about the project to the planning board and the applicant, DG Cooley, LLC, at a planning board meeting in February.
If passed, the resolution will not apply to Tier I solar energy systems, maintenance, repair or replacement of existing solar systems or applications that received final site plan approval prior to the law’s effective date.
Saratoga County reporter Melanie Snyder can be reached at msnyder@dailygazette.net.
Saratoga County reporter
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Top stories and breaking news, delivered daily at 5:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Major news, right when it happens—sent straight to your inbox.
Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.
We recommend switching to one of the following browsers:
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Account processing issue – the email address may already exist
Must be at least 8 characters, not contain repeating characters (e.g., 111), and not contain sequential numbers (e.g., 123).
Have the latest food and drink articles delivered to your inbox every Thursday.
Local and state politics made simple. Hits your inbox every Tuesday.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise headlines to your inbox!
Get the Adirondack Daily Enterprise E-edition delivered directly to your inbox!
Adirondack Daily Enterprise obituaries. Remembering those we’ve lost.
A weekly roundup of our top stories from The Adirondack Daily Enterprise —delivered every Saturday.
A weekly roundup of local crime news—delivered every Wednesday
Top stories and breaking news, delivered daily at 5:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Honoring lives in our community—new obits shared daily.
Get the day’s full paper—The Daily Gazette, Amsterdam Recorder & Leader Herald—delivered to your inbox daily by 5 a.m.
Expert race picks delivered daily during the Saratoga track season.
HV360 headlines to your inbox!
Remembering those we’ve lost. Delivered Tuesday through Saturday.
Top local stories delivered to your inbox Monday through Saturday.
Leader Herald & Amsterdam Recorder Obituaries. Remembering those we’ve lost. Delivered Monday through Saturday.
Major news, right when it happens—sent straight to your inbox.
Major news, right when it happens—sent straight to your inbox.
Get the Register Star and Daily Mail E-edition delivered directly to your inbox!
New! Spotlight News now has an e-edition.
Have the latest local news delivered every morning so you don’t miss out on updates.
Get The Spot518 e-edition in your email weekly.
The latest Spot518 headlines twice a week.
A weekly roundup of our top stories from The Spot518 —delivered every Saturday.
A weekly roundup of our top stories from across all our publications—delivered every Saturday.
Get Your Niskayuna e-edition in your email weekly.
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Invalid password or account does not exist
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Must be at least 8 characters, not contain repeating characters (e.g., 111), and not contain sequential numbers (e.g., 123).
Secure transaction. Secure transaction. Cancel anytime.
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
A receipt was sent to your email.
