Groundbreaking held for floating solar project in Cohoes

COHOES, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Plans to build an array of solar panels on the Cohoes Reservoir have taken a step forward. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Monday morning for the $8 million floating solar project.

Officials plan to cover about 66 percent of the reservoir with 8,000 solar panels. City leaders said the project will not only benefit the environment by generating renewable energy but it will also save taxpayers money.

"Currently, we spend over half a million dollars on our electric bill alone," Cohoes Mayor Bill Keeler said. "Once the project is fully operational, those costs will be eliminated entirely."

The project costs about $6 million. Most of the costs will be covered by grants from the state and federal government and National Grid.