$35M center could lead to $1B solar energy

KINGSTON, N.Y., July 16 (UPI) -- A proposed $35 million solar energy research center could lead a New York state effort to produce $1 billion in solar power, a published report said Monday.

Business leaders, engineers, academics and lawmakers envision the hub -- proposed for Kingston, a city on the Hudson River 90 miles north of New York City -- becoming the state's solar "brain center," the (Middletown, N.Y.) Times Herald-Record reported.

The non-profit center would pioneer solar technologies and help pick sites for solar companies to set up shop as the state aims to produce 2,000 megawatts, currently worth $1 billion -- enough to serve more than 600,000 average U.S. homes -- within a decade, the newspaper said.

New York currently generates about 12 megawatts from the sun.

The project, dubbed the Solar Energy Consortium, is being championed by a group that includes Hudson Valley utility Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp., the Scenic Hudson environmental group, Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., and the Kingston business community.

The promoters estimate 300 to 400 area jobs could be created within three years and many more jobs statewide.

The center, which is seeking state and federal grants, would cost $138 million to run in its first five years.