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Through its news reporting and analysis, the nonprofit Adirondack Explorer furthers the wise stewardship, public enjoyment for all, community vitality, and lasting protection of the Adirondack park.
Subscribe to our print magazine
Support our journalism
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Adirondack Explorer
The only independent, nonprofit news organization solely dedicated to reporting on the Adirondack Park.
Fifteen solar projects have been approved in the Adirondack Park since the Adirondack Park Agency permitted the park’s first solar array in 2020. Another six projects are actively seeking agency approval.
With the first of those projects wrapping up construction in the past couple of years, APA staff looked back to review those projects and inform how the agency continues to adapt its solar review process.
Nine of the 15 permitted projects are currently under construction or have been completed, Ariel Lynch, an APA enviromental specialist, told the agency board on Thursday during its September meeting. APA has jurisdiction over public utility projects, as well as much of the subdivision and wetlands work needed in many of the projects.
A solar power cluster of sorts has formed in Essex County, near the southern shoreline of Lake Champlain. Six of the projects are located in Ticonderoga, with another four split between Crown Point and Moriah. Lynch said that area appeared to contain the transmission capacity and sizable properties needed to support solar projects.
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The largest array approved in the park was for the 40-megawatt (MW) Foothills Solar facility in Mayfield. That project was reviewed by the Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES), which has jurisdiction for arrays topping 25 MW and projects down to 20 MW that opt for the separate state review. APA staff provide input during an ORES review.
The Foothills project, which was approved by ORES last year, has since been put on hold by the developer Boralex due to rising construction costs and the expense of connecting to the grid.
The six projects pending APA approval are all under 5 MW in size, according to agency staff. The pending projects are largely in the southeastern part of the park, with one proposed in Essex. There are no large projects pending review from ORES, Lynch said.
After developers initiated the pre-application process to begin discussions with agency staff on a combined 10 projects in 2025, the agency is on pace to see about half that number of pre-applications this year.
In a 2025 settlement agreement, APA fined the solar developer Tarbell Hill $25,000 after they failed to manage stormwater runoff while the Moriah project was under construction. A large rain and early thaw event on Jan. 1, 2025, caused a major sediment runoff into a nearby wetland and stream.
It was the largest fine among nearly 20 enforcement case settlements made last year by the APA. It is rare for the agency to issue fines, let alone one that large. Of the 19 settlements from 2025, five resulted in fines with the second largest being $500, according to records obtained by Adirondack Explorer.
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The fine also served as a signal to other developers that the agency plans to hold them accountable for their permit conditions.
“[The penalty] is meant to deter others from committing violations,” Lynch said.
During questions from the board, Board Member Rush Holt raised what he said was a public perception that the agency wasn’t transparent with the public. Staff and other board members defended the agency’s transparency, citing opportunities for public comments and material shared online.
“Most people think what we are doing is behind closed doors,” Holt said.
Holt said that he also wanted to see the agency do more to grapple with the particular tradeoffs of projects, suggesting he wanted to see more about “what is lost and what is gained” from a project. He raised whether solar development harmed insect diversity, for example, which other board members and staff pushed back on.
John Burth, head of the agency’s regulatory program, said that agency staff is working to share more information with the public and asked for specifics about where residents felt the agency fell short on transparency.
“I would encourage specifics and we will keep working to address any concerns,” Burth said.
As part of next year’s budget, ORDA to ask state for $14.2M in aid, up from $10.7M.
The idea for a world class botanical garden in the Champlain Valley was inspired by a group of women planting lilacs.…
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Zachary Matson has been an environmental reporter for the Explorer since October 2021. He is focused on the many issues impacting water and the people, plants and wildlife that rely on it in the Adirondack… More by Zachary Matson
2 Comments
What about when a solar business was approved to build a solar farm but they didn’t follow through and pay us $5000 and has not been in contact with us since February 2026.
Sounds like you have a problem with whoever you signed your agreement with.
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Through its news reporting and analysis, the nonprofit Adirondack Explorer furthers the wise stewardship, public enjoyment for all, community vitality, and lasting protection of the Adirondack Park.
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