A field of solar panels that appeared out of nowhere a few years ago in Pearl River without warning has been dismantled and disappeared just as quietly. Four years ago, the state cut down a bunch of trees on property they own just off Route 304 and Middletown Road, and put up the panels to supply electricity to the grid. But the state DOT didn’t tell anyone they were doing it and over the years the area wasn’t well-maintained and became an eyesore, much to the displeasure of locals and former supervisor, Chris Day. Orangetown Supervisor Teresa Kenny says just a few days ago, surprisingly, the panels were gone…
The nearly 1,200-panel, $6 million, taxpayer-funded solar farm was apparently never used, and according to court documents found by CBS News, the company that put them up is now out of business. Monolith Solar reportedly had eight other projects in the works in New York. Despite the issues with Monolith Solar, the state says they’re on track to meet their clean energy goals — 70 percent of electricity to come from renewables — by the year 2030.