Gov. Phil Murphy spoke Wednesday, June 4, at 960 High St. in Perth Amboy at an event marking the success and expansion of New Jersey’s Community Solar Energy Program.
By Joshua Burd
As state officials look to tackle rising energy costs, a program that has brought rooftop solar panels to dozens of New Jersey warehouses has taken on added importance as a means of easing that burden without many of the risks and hurdles of major infrastructure projects.
That was a key message on Wednesday as Gov. Phil Murphy and other public officials joined business leaders in Perth Amboy, gathering outside a large distribution center with solar panels that provide electricity to more than 400 nearby households. That’s possible under the state’s pioneering community solar program, they said, in which commercial landlords lease their rooftops to firms that build the panel systems and sell energy directly to the grid, with at least 51 percent of the power going to low- and moderate-income residents.
Those officials, along with developer Solar Landscape and building owner Prologis Inc., touted the impact of the project at 960 High St. and other facilities that have participated — with more to come after a newly announced expansion of the program.
“Few projects better embody the profound potential for this clean, reliable energy source than community solar projects just like this one,” said Murphy, who signed a law to create the program in 2018. “They’re affordable, and today that means more than anything else.”
The governor was among those on hand in early 2021 when Solar Landscape activated the panel system at the 220,000-square-foot warehouse, the site of Wednesday’s event, and a neighboring building as part of the first operational project under the Community Solar Energy Program’s pilot phase. The initiative now provides discounted energy to more than 28,000 New Jersey subscribers, as it prepares to enter a third phase after the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved another 250 megawatts of capacity to be built by solar developers.
That impact looms larger than ever amid widespread rate hikes for New Jersey ratepayers this summer, an issue that has captured the attention of policymakers. The event in Perth Amboy, part of NAIOP’s two-day I.CON East conference, highlighted the role that community solar can play in defraying those costs in a way that’s less prone to red tape and other delays.
“There’s not enough generation on the grid,” said Shaun Keegan, cofounder and CEO of Asbury Park-based Solar Landscape. “These rooftops are a perfect place to put solar panels. That was recognized first here in New Jersey, and it’s become a model across the country.
“We have the built environment. There are no NIMBY issues, we’re quick to interconnect because there’s existing infrastructure and there’s speed to market, so within 12 months you can have projects operational and creating power for local communities.”
Murphy agreed that “we should be doing these morning, noon and night, up and down New Jersey, because NIMBYism is a real thing, whether we like it or not,” he said, referring to the public outcry that often comes with major development and infrastructure projects. “And there’s zero elements of that on something like this, in addition to all of the other benefits.”
Keegan, whose firm has been a central player in both the BPU program and the state’s commercial real estate sector, said Solar Landscape’s community solar projects to date are powering some 20,000 homes in New Jersey. Another 40,000 households will reap the benefits in the next two or so years as a result of additional projects in the company’s pipeline, which it’s now building out across the state.
That includes a first-of-its-kind partnership between Solar Landscape and Prologis, which spans 67 community solar projects equating to more than 152 megawatts in New Jersey alone that are built, under construction or in late-stage development, Keegan said. And there are dozens more on tap at Prologis properties in other markets.
“At Prologis we see our rooftops not just as part of the local supply chain, but as property with real potential to create affordable energy and boost grid reliability through private investment,” said Scott Peattie, Prologis’ vice president for commercial and industrial energy solutions. “Our rooftops represent one of the greatest untapped resources in commercial real estate, and this project proves how scalable and impactful they can be.”
Keegan, whose firm has built more than 300 solar projects during 15 years in business, noted that community solar also allows the firm to provide workforce development and job training to its host municipalities. That makes it an investment on multiple levels, a point echoed by Perth Amboy Mayor Helmin Caba, who also noted that the High Street building (originally developed by Bridge Industrial) helped revitalize a former brownfield property.
“When you build projects that benefit people as well as businesses, cities like ours will always be ready to work with you,” Caba told NAIOP members and other attendees. “Public-private partnerships like this are how we move forward together, and in the city of Perth Amboy we want to thank everyone that made this possible. And we welcome you and we’re proud to host you.”
Demand soars for ‘community solar’ projects on warehouses, as state program enters new phase
