Extra Space Storage Community Solar Project, First in NJ’s Year 2 Program, to Bring Clean Energy to Over 1,400 Homes
Extra Space Storage Community Solar Project, the First in New Jersey’s Year 2 Program, to Bring Clean Energy to Over 1,400 Households
Solar Landscape Completes Installation on Facility That Will Deliver Guaranteed Power Bill Savings to Nearby Residents While Creating Jobs and Lowering Emissions
Neptune, NJ – August 1, 2022 – Solar Landscape, New Jersey’s largest community solar owner and operator, announced today that it has completed construction on the first of 46 community solar projects approved by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) in Year 2 of the Community Solar Energy Pilot Program.
New Jersey’s first completed Year 2 project is located on an Extra Space Storage site in Neptune, one of 10 sites owned by the company that is hosting community solar projects with Solar Landscape. Extra Space Storage’s total 6.5-megawatt (MW) community solar portfolio will cover 800,000 square feet of rooftop solar that will power over 1,400 nearby homes.
“We are thrilled to be involved in this community solar project. 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,” said McKall Morris, Senior Manager of Communications and Sustainability, Extra Space Storage. “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.”
“Community solar is a vital part of Governor Murphy’s clean energy initiative which is aimed at reaching 100 percent clean energy by 2050,” said Joseph L. Fiordaliso, President, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. “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.”
“Community solar is a central piece of our state’s clean energy infrastructure,” said Jane Cohen, Director of the 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.”
“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,” said Solar Landscape CEO Shaun Keegan. “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.”
Community solar allows residents to subscribe to a nearby solar installation that is often hosted on a commercial property. The residents receive the electricity generated at a discounted rate, with extra savings for low- to moderate-income households. NJBPU’s Community Solar Energy Pilot Program, which approved a total of 105 Year 2 community solar projects as part of Governor 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 a shaded property.
As part of the community solar program, Solar Landscape has partnered with dozens of schools, nonprofits and community organizations, and has educated nearly 1,000 New Jersey residents and students about renewable energy careers. Along with Sustainable Jersey City, an environmental education nonprofit, the company awarded $20,000 in scholarships to high school seniors through its Community Sustainability Challenge scholarships. Solar Landscape also partners with nonprofits such as Asbury Park’s Interfaith Neighbors and the Affordable Housing Alliance to build the community support necessary to make community solar projects successful.
The Neptune community solar site will generate approximately 500 kilowatts of energy, with the other nine sites located in New Jersey towns spanning seven counties (Atlantic, Bergen, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, and Ocean counties):
· Egg Harbor
· Ho Ho Kus
· Jersey City
· Lawrence
· Parlin
· Old Bridge
· Iselin
· Neptune
· Hazlet
· Toms River
The diversity of these towns underscores the innovation of New Jersey’s community solar program, which enables the commercial real estate sector to contribute meaningfully to lowering carbon emissions by installing panels on their entire roof, not just the portion that covers the building’s energy needs. The program also allows the commercial sector to play a role in expanding energy equity by making it possible for community solar subscribers – the majority of whom are lower-income – to power their homes with renewable energy and participate in the fight against climate change.
Solar Landscape and Community Solar: Clean Energy Equity, Savings and Workforce Development
Through the New Jersey Community Solar Energy Pilot Program, Solar Landscape has 70 MW of solar energy built or under construction. The company owns and operates more than half – eight out of 14 – of New Jersey’s active community solar projects, making it the nation’s largest clean energy portfolio designated for low- and moderate-income (LMI) households. The projects have generated more than 22.63 gigawatt hours of emissions-free electricity to date, the equivalent of avoiding 9,790 metric tons of CO2 being put into the local air.
Last year the company cut the ribbon on the state’s first community solar project with Governor Phil Murphy. Upon completion of all its approved projects, the company’s 54 community solar sites will power more than 11,000 homes, the largest portfolio in the nation to focus on lower-income subscribers.
Over the next 20 years, the company estimates that the projects will save New Jersey residents over $20 million on their energy bills.
Residents interested in learning more about community solar can visit www.SolarLandscape.com.
About Solar Landscape
Based in Asbury Park, Solar Landscape is a leading full-service developer, designer, installer, owner, and operator of community solar and solar energy solutions for the commercial/industrial, municipal, public school and non-profit marketplaces. The company employs more than 100 people and has more than 200 megawatts of solar energy projects completed or under construction. For more about Solar Landscape, visit www.solarlandscape.com or check us out on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram.
About Extra Space Storage
Extra Space Storage Inc., headquartered in Salt Lake City, is a real estate investment trust, and a member of the S&P 500. As of March 31, 2022, the Company owned and/or operated 2,130 self-storage properties, which comprise approximately 1.5 million units and approximately 164.2 million square feet of rentable storage space. The Company is the second largest owner and/or operator of self-storage properties in the United States and is the largest self-storage management company in the United States. The company has won several industry awards for their sustainability efforts. Learn more on ir.extraspace.com.
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