Suffolk Community wins $1M grant in energy competition

Suffolk County Community College was awarded $1 million from New York State as part of the Energy to Lead Competition.

Schools were required to submit project proposals for energy-efficient greenhouse gas reduction solutions. Applicants then described how the project would impact greenhouse gas emissions and how they would use the funding to advance the project.

The grant will help Suffolk Community implement net-zero energy components during the construction of its new Renewable Energy & STEM Center, including solar panels and geothermal heat pumps. The building’s design will showcase various clean energy technologies and is expected to result in the avoidance of 227 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year.

“Suffolk County Community College is committed to advancing and demonstrating clean energy and innovative initiatives on campus, in the classroom, and in our communities,” said Dr. Shaun L. McKay, the college’s president. “Through support and sponsorship that will be incorporated into the college’s proposed Renewable Energy and STEM Center, the Energy to Lead grant award will serve as a funding resource for nearly $1 million worth of state-of-the-art technologies and equipment that will be employed to reduce the new building’s energy use intensity consumption, and to teach best practices of sustainable energy applications as a learning laboratory — serving as an energy conservation and learning resource center.”

The new center will also bolster the college’s educational opportunities for students on Long Island.

“Upon completion of its construction, this structure will represent the first building of its kind in the SUNY system, and on Long Island,” McKay added.

Founded in 2015, the Energy to Lead Competition challenges colleges and universities across the state to develop plans for clean energy projects on campus to combat climate change. The competition is part of the state’s Reforming the Energy Vision Campus Challenge, an initiative that promotes clean energy efforts and supports colleges that implement solutions for clean energy on campus.

“Through the Energy to Lead competition, New York is fostering clean energy innovation to help fight climate change and protect our environment,” Governor Cuomo said in a statement. “I commend the students and faculty for their steadfast commitment to improving their campus and community, helping to create a cleaner, greener New York for all.”

For more information on the Energy to Lead competition and other grant opportunities, visit nyserda.ny.gov.