Sarah Trafton is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Catskill Planning Board Jan. 8, heard a proposal for a new solar project. Peter McAuliffe of Omni Navitas, a Boston-based solar energy development company, and Christopher Knox of Crawford & Associates Engineering and Land Surveying presented site plans for a 1.6-megawatt AC solar project to be located on Cauterskill Road. The 112-acre property is owned by Alfred and Nancy Beers, and the solar panels would occupy six of those acres, Knox said. When asked what the developers plan to do with the energy they harvest, McAuliffe said, “It will be fed back into the grid. It will be indirectly sold to Central Hudson customers by another company.” Planning Board Chairman Joseph Izzo advised the pair that because the property borders on an area protected by the Greene Land Trust, the developers will likely have to take additional measures to minimize the project's visual impact. Izzo also said the company has to discuss their plans for fire protection with the Leeds Fire Department, and the application must also include a decommission plan. The developers will continue to make revisions to the site plan before it is presented to the board again, McAuliffe said. Once approved, construction is expected to take three months. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.