Taconic Partners, Clarion Partners celebrate Bronx solar panel project

Bronx, NY Taconic Partners and Clarion Partners hosted a conference and reception to celebrate the completion of their solar power project at their flagship Quality Communities property, Eastchester Heights, in the Bronx. The conference included keynote speeches from Andrew Schwartz of Taconic, vice president of residential asset management; Jeff Perlman of Bright Power, CEO; David Sandbank of The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), vice president of distributed energy resource; Alex Wint of District Office 83, director of community relations; and council member Kevin Riley of NY City Council’s District 12.

“We’re very proud of this project and the positive impact it will not only have on the environment, but also the Bronx community,” said Schwartz of Taconic. “We are committed to being a part of a solution to fight climate change and look forward to exploring solar and other sustainable technologies for more of our properties.”

Taconic and Clarion contracted Bright Power, an energy and water management consulting and construction company, to design and install 917 kilowatts of solar photovoltaic panels at their flagship Quality Communities property in Eastchester Heights. By adding solar, Taconic and Clarion are improving an existing property and reducing its emissions. The solar installation will produce over 1.1 million kilowatt hours of clean electricity, equivalent to removing 165 cars from the road for a year or the carbon sequestered by over 12,800 tree seedlings grown over 10 years.

“Bright Power applauds Taconic and Clarion’s commitment to clean, renewable energy. A solar installation of this magnitude sets an example for other real estate owners” said Perlman. “Taconic and Clarion are making the Bronx more sustainable while they preserve high-quality affordable workforce housing. It’s a win for the Bronx, Eastchester Heights residents, and the environment.”

With new legislation in New York City aimed to reduce emissions from existing buildings, Taconic and Clarion will be one step ahead in helping the city meet its goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050. The solar panels at the Quality Communities property will help New York State reach its goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040 and decrease emissions in an area that has the highest asthma rates in the country.

“Clarion Partners is proud of the investment Eastchester Heights is making in clean energy,” said Katie Vaz, managing director, Clarion. “We are excited to include Eastchester as a contributor to our ever-growing portfolio of properties which collectively produce over 30 MW’s of solar power annually.”