A 10-acre community solar project proposed for a field in Ancramdale is the latest in a growing number of renewable energy efforts in rural Columbia County.
The project is proposed by Jim Miller, Ancram’s highway superintendent and a former partner in Millerhurst Farm, who plans to lease a portion of his 95-acre property to RIC Energy, a renewable energy developer. The site, located at 3333 Route 82, was part of a 100-acre property Miller acquired in 2016 after leaving the family business.
“I’m staring 70 in the face,” Miller told the Herald. “I had this property for sale for a while. A couple people nibbled at it, but I kind of got mixed feelings about selling it. I look at this as a way that all my family would be able to retain ownership of the land and I’d be able to get a little income.”
Miller said the lease would provide his family approximately $25,000 annually over a 25-year term, with two optional five-year extensions. “Hopefully I can retire here someday,” he said.
Emily Miller, Jim Miller’s sister-in-law who lives across the road from the proposed array, has circulated petitions opposing the plan. “It’s farmland,” she told the Herald. “As you come into Ancram from every direction, there’s a sign that says ‘historic farming community.’ That’s what it should remain.”
“I’m not opposed to solar in general,” she said. “But I don’t want to look at it.”
Jim Miller said the majority of his property will continue to be farmed. It is currently leased to Lo-Nan Dairy, a Pine Plains-based operation that grows corn and soy on the land.
Emily and her husband, Michael Miller, operate Millerhurst Farm, which has been in continuous operation since 1770. In 2018, they placed their land under a conservation easement with the Columbia Land Conservancy, permanently prohibiting development.
RIC Energy presented its initial plans for the community solar project in November 2024. At an April 3 Ancram Planning Board meeting, the company addressed questions from board members and residents during a public hearing that remains open.
According to the project proposal, the solar panels would be mounted on single-axis trackers with a maximum height of 12 feet, staying below the 15-foot limit outlined in Ancram’s solar code. Tree clearing would be limited to under one acre, as the array would be installed in existing fields.
The site is located in the town’s agricultural zoning district and outside the scenic corridor overlay zone. The proposal states the project is eligible for a special use permit and site plan approval under the town’s solar law. Setbacks of 100 feet would be maintained from all side and rear property lines.
RIC Energy reported that no wetlands, waterbodies or streams are located within 150 feet of the project area. A habitat assessment conducted in consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined the project would have “no effect” on fish, wildlife or critical habitats.
The project is part of New York State’s Community Distributed Generation program, which allows residents and businesses to “sign up for a subscription to purchase electricity at a discounted rate,” according to the developer. RIC Energy estimates the project would generate enough electricity to supply approximately 25 percent of homes in Ancram.
Emily Miller voiced concern about the precedent she believes the project could set. “Once one gets approved, more will follow,” she said. “Just like in every other town surrounding us.”
However, Jim Miller said he believes solar and agriculture are compatible. “I plan on continuing to lease the rest of the land to a local dairy, Lo-Nan Farms. The 9.9-acre plot is not prime farmland, and it’s not being used by any imagination. I see this as a small way to keep the property in the family.”
The Planning Board has not yet scheduled a vote on the application. The public hearing remains open, and a previously scheduled site walk was postponed due to weather.
The next Ancram Planning Board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on May 1 when further discussion is expected.