Pathfinder Village Realizes Energy Cost Savings While Supporting Renewable Development

Pathfinder Village, a leader in community-based services for children and adults with developmental disabilities, had collaborated with Usource’s energy advisors for more than a decade to explore new opportunities for energy cost savings. After recognizing that Pathfinder Village was a potential candidate for community solar in 2021, Usource approached the organization to explore how its benefits could meet their needs.
 

Challenge

Pathfinder Village had emphasized the need for flexible, low-risk solutions for reducing its energy spend that could meet the approximately 1,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity required to operate its school, vocational services, residential program and other services annually. Finding a cost-conscious solution was critical to ensuring the success of the non-profit organization’s operations and ability to deliver quality services. Additionally, Pathfinder Village specified the importance of identifying a flexible, near-term solution that could begin driving results as quickly as possible. Since Pathfinder does not have an in-house energy team to help navigate the nuanced and complex request for proposal process, they looked to Usource as their trusted energy advisor to play an integral role in finding optimal solutions to meet their needs.
 

Solution

Usource recommended community solar for meeting the organization’s near-term financial goals and conducted a comprehensive request for proposal to gather and evaluate bids from a diverse network of suppliers.

After performing a financial and commercial terms analysis of the best offers, and vetting developers under consideration to mitigate any potential risk exposure, Usource negotiated favorable contract terms that best aligned with Pathfinder Village’s objectives and needs. Pathfinder Village subscribed to nearly 700 kilowatts (kW) of community solar over 10 years (with options to expand term to 20 years), allowing it to gain savings for approximately 90% of their energy consumption.
 

Result

By subscribing to Usource’s recommended community solar project, Pathfinder Village will benefit from potential annual savings of approximately $11,000 on its energy spend, amounting to roughly $110,000 in savings over the contract’s 10-year term (or roughly $220,000 over a 20-year term). Usource provided the client with the energy expertise to negotiate a complex contract and mitigate future risks, resulting in favorable terms and a 10% discount. If the organization’s goals change in the future, the contract’s flexible terms allow for cancellation with one year’s notice.

By subscribing to the best available community solar project scheduled to be operational by early 2024, Pathfinder Village began realizing savings quickly while demonstrating its commitment to clean energy growth in New York.

Due to the ongoing consulting and advisory services that are integral to Usource’s client relationships, Usource was able to deliver larger-than-expected savings to the not-for-profit organization.

*Savings may vary.
** In order to participate in community solar, your state needs to have a program in place that allows “virtual net metering.” Virtual net metering provides a business with credits on its utility bill for the grid-connected solar it receives through a community solar project. Credits may vary based on project.