Construction is underway on the solar installation in Pulvers Corners, a project first proposed by Carson Power in November 2022. Now owned by Nexamp, a national developer and operator of community solar projects, the facility will feature 24,000 panels across 42 acres and is expected to produce enough electricity to power 1,500 homes when it becomes operational in 2026.
The solar facility sits on a 172-acre parcel that also includes forest and farmland. In mid-June, site work began in earnest. Drivers heading east on Route 199 toward Amenia may notice a large clearing just before Prospect Hill Road Extension, where heavy equipment has cleared trees and flatbed trucks haul stacks of logs cut in December 2024.
According to a Nexamp spokesperson, current work involves “civil work such as rough grading and road construction.” The tree-clearing contractor is harvesting all commercially viable timber for sale, with proceeds “designated for the benefit of the town.” Trees unsuitable for sale are being chipped for erosion control or donated to a neighboring farmer.
Trucks and signs at the site indicate involvement by Mid-Hudson Forest Products, a Pine Plains-based company, though its president, Brian Arico, declined to comment. Nexamp also declined to confirm the contractor’s role.
Nexamp has secured all required permits, including a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) agreement and a conservation easement on the property, according to Pine Plains Planning Board Chair Michael Stabile. Construction of the solar array itself is expected to begin this fall, with completion targeted for mid-to-late spring 2026.
To accommodate the project, Central Hudson has begun infrastructure work, including the installation of a new breaker and circuit from the local substation to the interconnection point. A company spokesperson said all work is occurring within the existing substation footprint and is “entirely paid for” by Nexamp. That phase is expected to wrap by the end of July, with upgrades to the wider distribution system completed by mid-to-late fall.
Complaints Over Construction Noise
The Pulvers Corners solar project has stirred opposition since its inception. Ten residents, many of whom own property near the site, contested the project’s approval in court. Their appeal was ultimately unsuccessful. But frustrations have intensified now that construction has begun.
Some residents reported that contractors were working outside the permitted hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
“I got complaints that they were working late and starting early,” said Pine Plains Building Supervisor Ed Cassaza. “I’ve been out there a couple of times and asked them to stop, and they said yes.” Cassaza said the schedule has largely been followed since those complaints.
Still, even regulated construction hours are disruptive to nearby homeowners like Jim Pinto, whose 19th-century home sits just 60 feet from the site.
“When the bulldozers are at work, the floors in our house actually shake,” Pinto said. “You can feel it under your feet — a low rumble.”
Pinto and his wife bought the house in 2004 after living in Stanford for 15 years. “We love to sit outside on a nice day, but you can’t now — unless you want to yell at the person who’s 2 feet away,” he said. He added that a real estate agent friend discouraged him from selling: “He told me no one would want to buy it.”
Kathleen Augustine, another plaintiff in the lawsuit, said she “used to have lunch outside on my terrace every day, but now it sounds like a construction site.” Still, her larger concern is ecological. “The noise is terrible but temporary,” she said. “What’s permanent is the destruction of habitat from the removal of trees.”
Augustine and Pinto both say they’ve noticed changes in local wildlife patterns. “I have animals running around my property that I have never seen before,” Augustine said.
Pinto agreed. “I’ve picked up more bear scat since June than in the last 20 years,” he said. “I’m seeing quadruple the number of deer — they get a taste of what’s happening up on the ridge and go looking for a quieter place.”
The bat population has also dropped noticeably, Pinto added. “Last summer, you could see the bats diving and eating all over the place. This year, they’re gone.” He noted there’s been no new guano in the barn rafters where they typically roost.
To protect bat populations, Nexamp followed New York State Department of Environmental Conservation guidelines restricting tree clearing to winter months when bats are hibernating. Carson Power originally delayed the project by a year to comply.
Whether construction noise is impacting bat behavior is unclear, but some research suggests a connection. A 2020 study published in Environmental Pollution found that traffic noise significantly reduced bat activity and foraging. According to the 2024 report by the state DEC on the endangered Northern Long-eared Bat, “exposure to intense noise could have adverse effects on NLEBs ability to use affected areas for foraging by impairing perception of sounds made by prey.” The report cites “daytime noise produced during construction.” Whether the current project has any long-term effects on local bat populations is unknown, however, and anecdotal reports suggest that bats are appearing in other areas of Pine Plains where they have not been recently seen.
Conservation Measures
In April, Nexamp finalized a deed of conservation easement with the Scenic Hudson Land Trust to preserve the remaining 130 acres.
“We’re conserving farmland and forest,” said Seth McKee, executive director of the trust. “Even the solar facility is forever limited in size by this conservation easement.”
The agreement includes all land outside the 42-acre solar array, except for a 5-acre “envelope” where a future farmer may build a home and outbuildings. While Scenic Hudson began discussing an easement with the former landowners before Carson’s involvement, the easement was ultimately required by the Town of Pine Plains as part of the approval process — at no cost to the nonprofit.
“Without an easement, it was quite possible the former owners might have sold to a developer to build houses, with significant scenic and ecological impacts,” McKee said.
Scenic Hudson will not manage the land but will monitor it annually to ensure compliance, using both site visits and satellite surveillance. Nexamp has said it plans to lease the land to a local farmer. The conservation restrictions will remain in place regardless of future ownership.
Energy Savings for Residents
Nexamp expects the project to qualify for federal clean energy incentives, provided construction is complete by the end of 2026. The project uses solar modules from Heliene, a United States-based manufacturer, and is not expected to be affected by tariffs.
The installation supports New York’s goal of reaching a 70% renewable energy grid by 2030 under the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.Once operational, Central Hudson customers will be eligible to enroll in Nexamp’s community solar program, which offers a 10% discount on annual electricity costs. There are no enrollment fees, equipment requirements or cancellation penalties. Enrollment typically begins about six months before the project goes live. Residents interested in joining the waiting list can visit www.nexamp.com.