Daniel Zuckerman is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media developer Solitude Solar is currently in negotiation with the town of Hunter over a Payment In Lieu Of Taxes, or PILOT, agreement that would declare the company tax-exempt for 15 years. The developer of the 2.3-megawatt solar project was scheduled to attend a meeting with town officials September 17, but company representatives were unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict. Hunter Town Board member Sean Mahoney said the meeting will be rescheduled and open to the public. Solitude Solar is proposing the construction of a facility on 15 acres of unusable land on the nonfunctioning Hunter Landfill that could power 500 to 700 homes within the Central Hudson Gas and Electric region, which serves southern Albany, Greene, southern Columbia, Ulster, Dutchess, Orange and northern Putnam counties. State law provide a 15-year real property tax exemption for properties with renewable energy systems, including solar. The project has received conditional approval from the town. The former landfill located on Hylan Road in Tannersville holds waste from Hunter and five other mountaintop towns. The site was closed and sealed between 1990 and 1993. The solar project will promote clean energy, but will also bring revenue to the town and potentially offset electric bills for residents and the Hunter-Tannersville Central School District, Mahoney said. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.