Cypress Creek invests $25,000 with Hudson Valley
Nick Fisk
Staff Writer
Hudson Valley recently received a $25,000 investment from Cypress Creek Renewables, a national provider of solar energy, who also revealed their plans for an extended partnership for the area during their presentation in late January.
Cypress Creek is a proclaimed “leader in local solar” throughout the nation. It specializes in creating and maintaining solar farms, or large flat fields of solar panels, to harvest as much usable solar energy as possible. To help their goals, they also look to extend the number of professionally trained workers in the field.
The company recently held a presentation in the Bulmer Telecommunications Center, in which it described their plans for the area and granted the college an investment to help reduce costs for students and encourage students to enter the solar industry.
Cypress Creek CEO Matt McGovern spoke on behalf of the company at the event, describing the company’s aim in the area.
“We are deeply committed to bringing low-cost, clean energy to New York, and we need a skilled, local workforce to accomplish our goals,” McGovern said.
The Company’s $25,000 investment was accepted by President Drew Matonak on behalf of Hudson Valley. In addition, several important figures appeared at the event, including Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin and Congressman Paul Tonko, along with several State Assembly members.
“With this new partnership, Hudson Valley will reach a broader and more diverse talent pool to train the growing number of people interested in entering the state’s clean energy economy,” Matonak said.
Also in attendance were approximately 12 Advanced Solar Training students. This program, which originated in Florida and Puerto Rico, respectively, was completed by the college’s Workforce Development Institute.
The WDI may see a rise in the number of students enrolled in courses, similar to the company’s investment. With continuing patterns, the number of people currently working in the solar field could more than double with efforts like Cypress Creek’s.
This investment from Cypress Creek is planned to be used toward lowering course fees for students undergoing solar job training at Hudson Valley. In addition, the company is also looking to focus on getting more women, veterans and other underrepresented groups interested and working in solar energy careers.
On top of the grant given to the college, Cypress Creek also announced its plan to invest more than $500 million in New York through multiple solar projects. This work is projected to create approximately 1,500 jobs in construction in the area and increase available solar energy in the area by a significant amount.
President Matonak expressed his hopes for the college’s partnerships.
“We are deeply committed to bringing low-cost, clean energy to New York, and we need a skilled, local workforce to accomplish our goals. We will be reaching out to our community partners to develop interest in this training.”