PSE&G and Highland Park to build solar storage system

Public Service Electric and Gas Co. and the Borough of Highland Park have started to build a solar storage system on the borough’s former municipal landfill, according to the utility.

The project will be the fifth solar storage system that PSE&G has built as part of its Solar 4 All program. It will convert two acres of dormant space on Donaldson Street to productive use and also incorporate street-scaping to further transform the once-fallow area.

“Highland Park was New Jersey’s first Green Community and we are committed to supporting a healthy and sustainable environment,” Mayor Gayle Brill Mittler said. “By working with PSE&G on this solar storage project, we will transform a plot of underutilized land from an eyesore to an asset and also do our part to help increase the amount of renewable energy in the borough and the state.”

The Highland Park Solar Storage System will combine a 1,764-panel, 605-kilowatt-dc solar farm with 2,000 kilowatt-hour Tesla batteries. Both the solar panels and the batteries will be connected directly to the PSE&G electric grid. The solar panels are expected to provide enough electricity to power about 100 homes annually and also charge the batteries, which will be used to lessen voltage fluctuations that are inherent to grid connected solar systems due primarily to issues like intermittent cloud cover, according to PSEG.

The Highland Park Solar Storage System will ultimately enable better integration of renewable energy onto the electric grid, which will allow for even more solar energy projects in New Jersey and better grid reliability.

“The Highland Park project showcases all the best parts of our Solar 4 All program,” Karen Reif, vice president, renewables and energy solutions at PSE&G said. “We are reclaiming two acres of landfill space while also providing clean, carbon-free electricity directly to our customers. The energy storage piece of this project will also provide valuable insight and learning as to how we can utilize batteries to better integrate renewable energy into the grid.”

The Highland Park Solar Storage System is part of a 3-megawatt-dc carve-out in the Solar 4 All program, dedicated to developing projects that integrate solar with other technologies to reduce the impact solar has on the grid or increase reliability and grid resiliency for critical facilities during prolonged power outages.