A building that “has been a fixture in Union for decades” is now the foundation of an energized, 1.7-megawatt, 3,600-panel solar installation. 

On Sept. 26, Asbury Park-based Solar Landscape and Union Township officials activated the rooftop community solar project, which will provide clean energy at a discount to more than 260 homes in the Union Township area. 

Located at 777 Lehigh Ave., atop a building owned by H. Schultz and Sons, the array is owned and operated by Solar Landscape. 

“We are excited to bring the benefits of community solar to the residents of the Township of Union. Whether you own a home or rent an apartment, this project will help our residents save on their monthly electric bills, and it will also help us fight climate change together as a community,” Union Mayor Manuel Figueiredo said in a statement, adding that it’s “one of the many improvements taking shape” in the township. 

Earlier this year, Gov. Phil Murphy announced an accelerated target of 100% clean energy by 2035 for the state. 

The Union project was approved as part of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities’ Community Solar Energy Pilot Program, which the board voted Aug. 16 to make permanent. The initiative allows New Jerseyans who are unable to install their own array on their property to benefit from solar energy. 

“Together with Mayor Figueiredo, H. Schultz and Sons and Edison Job Corps, we’re demonstrating that rooftop community solar projects create real-world benefits for residents – all without putting panels on their homes – and preserve precious open space,” said Solar Landscape CEO and co-founder Shaun Keegan.

H. Schultz and Sons Vice President Ran Lazarovitch added, “Our building has been a fixture in Union for decades and we’re excited that it can now be a new resource to the community.”

Solar Landscape also partnered with training program Edison Job Corps on the Union project. 

This year, the company has energized 22 community solar projects, which serve more than 2,700 households – more than half of which are low- or moderate-income families, according to Solar Landscape. 

In August, Solar Landscape announced it was starting construction on a 133-rooftop community solar project as part of a multistate partnership with Public Storage, creating one of the largest solar portfolios of its kind in the U.S. The installations will be located in New Jersey, Maryland and Illinois.