Solar Landscape installs 1.75-MW rooftop community solar project in New Jersey

Construction has been completed on a 1.75 MW rooftop solar project that will serve approximately 300 households in Piscataway, New Jersey.

Credit: Solar Landscape

The Piscataway community solar installation is one of Solar Landscape’s 54 community solar projects in New Jersey. Installed, owned and operated by Solar Landscape, the renewable energy project in Middlesex County is part of 11 9.7 MW community solar projects hosted by Sudler Companies and GTJ REIT that will soon serve more than 1,500 New Jersey residents. houses, most of which. which would be low and middle income (LMI) households.

The Piscataway project was approved by the New Jersey Public Utilities Board in October 2021, and nearby residents can sign up now to receive discounted energy through the end of 2023.

“Community solar is a proven and effective way to advance the clean energy transition,” said Sean Keegan, CEO and co-founder of Solar Landscape. “New Jersey has created a community solar model that shows how valuable commercial rooftops can be as we move away from fossil fuels and toward a more sustainable future that doesn’t use up precious open space. By placing community solar projects on warehouses and large commercial buildings, we generate energy closer to where it will be used, reducing the load on the local grid and the need for additional transmission lines.”

In nearby Edison, Solar Landscape has partnered with the Edison Job Corps to introduce its students to careers in the solar installation industry.

“For nearly 60 years, Job Corps has helped disadvantaged populations with career preparation, career development and career transitions,” said Tony Steyning, business community liaison officer for Edison Job Corps. “We are thrilled that one of our students got a job at Solar Landscape and worked on this installation. His story and projects like this one in Piscataway highlight the urgent need to create career paths in clean energy.”

A community solar system allows residents to subscribe to a nearby solar installation, often located on commercial property. Residents receive credit for the electricity produced, with savings for low- and middle-income households. NJBPU’s Community Solar Pilot Program, part of Gov. Phil Murphy’s clean energy agenda, expands access to renewable energy for those who previously could not install solar panels for reasons such as high costs, lack of roof control or shady properties.

“Community solar is seizing a historic opportunity to ensure that our transition to a clean energy future is fair, affordable and accessible. Such projects are a win-win to expand access to and benefits from low-cost clean energy for low-income families, who are too often on the front lines of the worst impacts of climate change,” said Alison McLeod, Senior Policy. Director of the New Jersey League of Conservation Voters.

In the first two years of New Jersey’s community solar program, Solar Landscape has 70 MW of solar built or under construction. The company currently owns and operates nine, representing about half of New Jersey’s active community solar projects, making it the nation’s largest clean energy portfolio serving LMI households.

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