New Community Solar Activation in Wood-Ridge to Power 375 Homes in Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Passaic Counties
Solar Landscape Project Is One of Four Duke Realty Community Solar Installations; Total Will Generate 13 Million Kilowatt Hours Annually
Asbury Park, NJ (August 27, 2021) – Solar Landscape, New Jersey’s top ranked solar developer, announced today that another of its portfolio of first-year community solar projects is energized and delivering clean energy to local residents in northeast New Jersey. The project, located in the Wood-Ridge borough on the rooftop of Duke Realty’s warehouse at 5 Ethel Boulevard, is now powering more than 375 local homes with clean solar energy: almost 2.8 megawatt hours of electricity annually.
The Wood-Ridge project is the sixth community solar project Solar Landscape has energized in 2021.
“It is great to see that Solar Landscape has energized another project that will benefit North Jersey ratepayers” said Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli. “The purpose of community solar is to provide energy equity and access for all and that’s exactly what this project does. Hudson and Bergen County residents get the benefits of solar energy – cleaner air and lower costs – without the need for solar panels on their rooftop. We continue to support clean energy initiatives across the state.”
“Our continued progress on New Jersey Community Solar projects is clearing our air and making our communities stronger,” said Solar Landscape chief executive officer Shaun Keegan. “With the impacts of climate change becoming increasingly stark, community solar gives New Jerseyans – especially low- and middle-income households — a real way to fight global warming. Not only are nearby residents getting renewable energy at a lower cost than traditional sources, we are training tomorrow’s clean energy workforce statewide. We are grateful to our local partners, including the borough of Wood-Ridge and the Secaucus Housing Authority for their collaboration and for Duke Realty for tangibly demonstrating their commitment to sustainability by hosting this community solar project on their rooftop.”
The installation at 5 Ethel Boulevard is one of four rooftop community solar projects installed by Solar Landscape on Duke Realty facilities. Together, the four projects are expected to generate more than 13 million kilowatt hours of solar power to New Jersey communities.
“Duke Realty remains committed to thoughtful and sustainable practices that take into consideration the impact we have on the communities we serve,” said Megan Basore, Duke Realty’s vice president of corporate responsibility. “By teaming with Solar Landscape and participating in New Jersey’s Community Solar Pilot Program we are working to be good corporate citizens and helping the residents of Bergen and Hudson counties, while leading the way for a clean energy future.
Solar Landscape also announced that 51 percent of the electricity generated from the project will be sold to low- and moderate-income (LMI) households and that every subscriber receives a guaranteed discount in electricity expenses every month they are part of the program.
In addition to the project being fully energized, it is also fully subscribed: the program has reached its goal of 350 subscribers in Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Passaic counties. The subscriber success is due to community outreach and participation from the Newark Boys & Girls Club and Newark Science and Sustainability.
“We were thrilled to reach out to our community with the opportunity to offer affordable renewable energy,” said Ameer Washington, chief executive officer of the Boys & Girls Club of Newark. “Promoting clean energy in and around Newark is a win for everyone: cleaner air, lower power bills and the opportunity to create workforce training for our future solar workforce.”
“Renewable energy has long been a pillar of Newark Science and Sustainability and community solar projects give us the chance to show how it works in the real world,” said Tobias Fox, managing director of the Newark Science and Sustainability, Inc. “Any meaningful change requires teamwork and we were happy to work with Solar Landscape and others to make the public aware of sustainability efforts in our community.”
The project is part of Year One of the NJBPU’s Community Solar Energy Pilot Program, which is administered byNew Jersey’s Clean Energy ProgramTM. Enrollment is open to renters and property owners with no cost to join, no long-term contracts and guaranteed cost savings. In addition to developing the projects, Solar Landscape is working with non-profit organizations and community leaders to educate residents about the benefits of community solar.
In January, Solar Landscape executives joined Governor Phil Murphy, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) President Joseph L. Fiordaliso, Congressman Frank Pallone, Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez and Assemblyman Craig Coughlin, as they cut the ribbon on the very first operational community solar project in NJ, located at 960 and 1000 High Street in Perth Amboy. These first two projects are providing clean electricity to more than 1,100 homes.
Residents who are interested in enrolling in Solar Landscape’s community solar projects can do so at www.GoSolarLandscape.com
About Solar Landscape
Solar Landscape is a leading New Jersey developer, designer, installer, owner, and operator of community solar and solar energy solutions for the commercial/industrial, municipal, public school and non-profit marketplace. The company has installed more than 110 megawatts of commercial solar energy projects in the Northeast. Solar Landscape offers a Solar Job Training Program as part of the company’s commitment to the Board of Public Utilities’ Community Solar pilot program. When completed, Solar Landscape’s portfolio of community solar projects from the program’s first year will deliver enough electricity to power more than 3,000 NJ homes for the next 20 years. For more information visit www.solarlandscape.com.
