SARANAC LAKE — Northern Power & Light, Inc. announced Jan. 27 its acquisition by Solar Simplified LLC, a company providing similar services in community solar.
Brothers Emmett and Ethan Smith will remain at the helm, and the business will maintain its headquarters in Saranac Lake.
With its new backing, NP&L plans to expand in 2026, adding more small hydroelectric facilities to deliver better service at lower costs, including savings to both new and existing customers, according to a press release.
“Simply put, Solar Simplified does what we do at scale,” Emmett Smith said in the release. “This partnership will allow us to expand our reach, connecting more households and businesses to more local hydro plants, while increasing benefits to both customers and generators.”
NP&L connects electricity users with small-scale, independently owned local hydro facilities through New York’s community renewables program. The service delivers a much-needed revenue boost to generators at no cost to the customer.
Beginning in 2026, all NP&L customers will receive a minimum 5% discount.
“We are grateful that so many North Country residents signed up to support local power at no change in cost,” Ethan Smith said in a press release. “We’re thrilled to now be able to actually put money back in customers’ pockets.”
Current NP&L customers will continue to receive power from three facilities — Azure Mountain Power, Sissonville Hydro and Warrensburg Hydro.
The company has new contracts to add at least four more facilities in 2026 to expand its customer base in National Grid and begin serving customers in New York State Electric and Gas territory.
Ownership of the hydroelectric power plants themselves, as well as the operation of the facility at Stillwater Reservoir, are unaffected by the deal.
Based in Chicago, Solar Simplified works with independent solar providers in a dozen states, with New York being its largest market. The company has a software-based solution for managing the distribution of energy credits to customers.
Like NP&L, Solar Simplified emphasizes municipal partnerships, serving Cortland, Baldwinsville, Manlius and many other towns and cities throughout the state.
NP&L serves Potsdam, Saranac Lake, Glens Falls and others.
“The timing couldn’t be better to be adding NP&L to our team,” Solar Simplified CEO Aviv Shalgi said in a press release. “We’re going to be needing a lot more power to serve new customers, and it’s great to be able to work with existing local resources like hydro.”
Both companies also place a strong emphasis on delivering savings to low-income households, according to the release.
The acquisition comes amid recent New York state policy shifts in favor of the community hydro program NP&L uses. The company has taken the lead in advocating for small hydro in Albany and pushing for programs to support independent hydroelectric facilities.
“Community hydro is now the best option for most smaller power plants. We’re talking to just about every small producer in the state right now,” Emmet Smith said.
“With increasing interest from generators, we knew we would need support on the customer side. With Solar Simplified’s backing, we’re confident we can follow through at scale.”
“This partnership will allow us to expand our reach, connecting more households and businesses to more local hydro plants, while increasing benefits to both customers and generators.” Emmett Smith Co-owner of Northern Power & Light, Inc.