Three energy companies purchased over 500 acres of land in order to build one of the largest solar farms on Long Island.
The Utah-based energy company, sPower, purchased 375 acres in Riverhead. National Grid and NextEra purchased about 200 adjoining acres.
The farm will generate about 60 megawatts, enough to power over 50,000 homes.
Marie Zere’s real estate company sold the land, which had been used for a few farms and a paintball course. She says a solar farm will be more valuable as it will supply more power to the East End.
“It also will bring tremendous tax revenue to the town of Riverhead, probably an excess of $3 million.”
This may be the last big solar farm project on Long Island because of recent laws limiting where solar panels can be placed throughout Suffolk County.
“They have so many restrictions that it’s very difficult to have a solar farm,” Zere says.
The Riverhead solar farm will be completed by 2020.