By Joshua Burd
Solar Landscape, the rooftop solar developer based in Asbury Park, has inked a sweeping deal that will bring its installations to more than 130 Public Storage properties in three states.
The companies this week said construction is underway on the first of the projects, which will span a portfolio that includes New Jersey, Maryland and Illinois and power more than 10,000 homes with renewable energy. Solar Landscape and the self-storage giant are building the installations under what’s known as community solar, allowing residents to subscribe to the power generated by the rooftop panels, often with a discount for those with lower incomes.
The 87.53-megawatt clean energy portfolio will be one of the nation’s largest.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with a forward-thinking company like Public Storage on this nation-leading partnership to expand solar accessibility to underserved communities, particularly low-income families,” said Shaun Keegan, Solar Landscape’s CEO and co-founder.
Public Storage, which is based in Glendale, California, plans to dedicate 32 properties in New Jersey toward the community solar program, according to a news release. In Illinois, it’s slated to devote up to 44 of properties to community solar, while it’s planning 57 such installations in Maryland focused on low-income residents.
All told, the projects will be installed on more than 8 million square feet of Public Storage’s facility rooftops, the news release said. The 133 committed solar projects in the partnership also represent 13 percent of the company’s commitment to install solar on more than 1,000 properties by 2025.
“Community solar furthers Public Storage’s strong commitments to sustainability and our communities,” said John Sambuco, president of asset management for Public Storage. “We are providing affordable renewable energy for low- and moderate-income residents, reducing our collective carbon impact on the environment, and converting non-used rooftop area into socioeconomically productive space for our company.”
