March 11 is International Solar Appreciation Day. To celebrate, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine has announced a series of programs to boost solar energy usage.
The "Solar-Up Suffolk" campaign will educate the public about how to harness sunlight and use it for electricity according to Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine.
He said he wants residents, businesses and government buildings to convert to solar power.
“What I want to do is change the rooftops of this county over the next four years, so that when you fly over this county, you see solar panels on as many rooftops as possible and we’re powering this county from the power of the sun,” Romaine said.
The three-pronged campaign consists of an educational program for county employees, a public fair on April 22 featuring solar panel vendors and a partnership with the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency to push businesses toward solar power.
"Long Islanders were so good at adopting solar that we exhausted the New York state solar incentives years ago," Romaine said. "With changing economic conditions, it is critical that the state find ways to support the adoption of solar to meet the aggressive climate goals that have been set."
