By Joshua Burd
Solar energy developer Solar Landscape has completed a new installation atop a self-storage complex in Monmouth County, while marking a milestone in a key state program.
The Asbury Park-based firm said Monday that the project site, located at 2990 Route 66 in Neptune, is the first of 10 Extra Space Storage facilities in New Jersey that will house its solar panels and generate a combined 6.5 megawatts at full build-out. It’s also the first completed project under the second year of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities’ Community Solar Energy Pilot Program, which uses commercial-scale installations to create discounted energy for residents, following Solar Landscape’s extensive participation in the first round.
“We are thrilled to be involved in this community solar project,” said McKall Morris, Extra Space Storage’s senior manager of communications and sustainability. “At Extra Space Storage, we have been equipping our locations with solar for over a decade, and this new effort to bring solar power to the local community is an exciting development. Partnering with Solar Landscape on this project aligns perfectly with our commitments to be good corporate citizens and to participate in environmental initiatives that are positive for our communities, customers, employees and shareholders.”
Part of Gov. Phil Murphy’s clean energy agenda, community solar allows residents to subscribe to a nearby solar installation that is often hosted on a commercial property, providing them with the electricity generated at a discounted rate. Low- to moderate-income households receive extra savings, in a program that seeks to expand access to renewable energy for those who previously could not install solar panels for reasons such as high costs, lack of roof control or a shaded property.
Solar Landscape now has 70 megawatts of solar energy built or under construction through the first and second years of the community solar program, according to a news release. Its partnership with Extra Space Storage site, which includes 10 projects approved under year two, will ultimately cover 800,000 square feet of rooftop solar while providing power to more than 1,400 nearby homes.
“Community solar is a vital part of Governor Murphy’s clean energy initiative which is aimed at reaching 100 percent clean energy by 2050,” BPU President Joseph L. Fiordaliso said. “We are extremely proud of our rapidly growing Community Solar program and a special congratulations to Solar Landscape for becoming the first Year Two project in our program to go online. We are particularly excited that projects such as this enable us to provide access to solar energy for residents who have been unable to access solar energy, because of barriers like cost or where they live.”
The Neptune community solar site will generate some 500 kilowatts of energy, Solar Landscape said. The other sites in the company’s program with Extra Space Storage span nine communities in seven counties, including Egg Harbor, Ho Ho Kus, Jersey City, Lawrence, Parlin, Old Bridge, Iselin, Neptune, Hazlet and Toms River.
“Thanks to Governor Murphy, the NJBPU, community leaders across the state and our installers, New Jersey has become a national model for clean energy equity,” Solar Landscape CEO Shaun Keegan said. “The promise of community solar in New Jersey has arrived, and it’s bringing guaranteed savings to residents at a time when many other costs are increasing. We’re proud to be partnering with Extra Space Storage on this project, which connects business leaders with the local community and saves residents money.”
The company currently owns and operates eight of New Jersey’s 14 active community solar projects, making it the nation’s largest clean energy portfolio designated for low- and moderate-income households, the news release said. Those installations have generated more than 22.63-gigawatt hours of emissions-free electricity to date, the equivalent of avoiding 9,790 metric tons of carbon dioxide being put into the local air.
“Community solar is a central piece of our state’s clean energy infrastructure,” said Jane Cohen, director of the state’s Office of Climate Action and the Green Economy. “New Jersey has prioritized the development and deployment of community solar to improve access to clean energy for thousands of New Jersey families, reduce energy costs and generate good-paying jobs and workforce development opportunities in the growing clean energy industry. We recognize this project as an important step forward in the expansion of Community Solar to our coastal communities and congratulate Solar Landscape for bringing this project online.”
Last year, the company joined Murphy to cut the ribbon on the state’s first community solar project. Upon completion of all its approved projects, its 54 community solar sites will power more than 11,000 homes, the largest portfolio in the nation to focus on lower-income subscribers.
Solar Landscape completes first-round projects, eyes year two of state pilot program
