Solar Archives

More solar projects see light of day in Ocean, Middlesex counties

The Lakewood Industrial Commission approved a lease amendment authorizing a large solar energy project proposed by All Chemical Transport Corp. at its parking facility in Lakewood, the trucking company announced March 14.

The solar project, located at 2000 Swarthmore Ave., will provide power for All Chem, neighboring facilities, charging stations and heavy-duty trucks, the company said.

All Chem enlisted IPPSolar to develop the project, which will feature about 5,000 solar panels. The project is expected to be completed within 18 months.

IPPSolar, which is a New York-based solar company with offices in New Jersey, will also install electric-vehicle charging stations at the adjacent Park and Ride.

The Lakewood Industrial Commission (LIC) recently approved a lease amendment authorizing the development of a large solar energy project proposed by All Chemical Transport Corporation (All Chem) at its parking facility, 2000 Swarthmore, Lakewood. — An All Chemical solar project in Lakewood is using a new solar application called IPP Sun Boxes, which are free-standing solar power enclosures that can bypass some issues that arise from traditional roof installations and ground mounts. – ALL CHEMICAL

Nearby, the construction of an All Chem solar array at 1975 Rutgers Ave. should be completed by July, according to All Chem, which added that the project will power much of the electrical load on the property.

The Rutgers Avenue project is using a new solar application called IPP Sun Boxes, which are free-standing solar power enclosures that can bypass some issues that arise from traditional roof installations and ground mounts.

“All Chem owner Steve Quadrel and COO Anthony Coruccini are transport leaders who possess a forward-looking vision that includes the early adoption of renewable technologies,” said Chad Hazelton, business development executive at IPPSolar, which is constructing all three projects.

“Installing solar will help All Chem better manage costs as we begin to electrify parts of our fleet,” Coruccini added.

Power up

Meanwhile, in Monroe, J.G. Petrucci Co. Inc. and Solar Landscape announced March 9 that they energized a 562-kilowatt rooftop solar project at 11 Engelhard Drive.

The solar panel system was completed on the rooftop of the 132,000-square-foot building owned and operated by J.G. Petrucci, a development and design/build firm, and will generate 706,630 kilowatt hours to offset the electric consumption of the building’s tenant, L&R Distributors.

J.G. Petrucci Co. Inc. and Solar Landscape announced March 9 that they have energized a 562-kW rooftop solar project at 11 Engelhard Drive. — J.G. Petrucci Co. Inc. and Solar Landscape have energized a 562-kW rooftop solar project at 11 Engelhard Drive. – J.G. PETRUCCI CO. INC.

“Through a competitive bidding process, we chose to work with Solar Landscape because of their trusted professionalism and impeccable track record. We’re thrilled to add this renewable energy project to our roster of sustainability initiatives,” Dominick Baker, J.G. Petrucci project executive, said in a statement.

Shaun Keegan, CEO and co-founder of Asbury Park-based Solar Landscape, added, “Environmental leaders like J.G. Petrucci understand that business-as-usual energy models are not sustainable and have embraced smart practices like solar to improve their facilities and fortify their operations.”

J.G. Petrucci owns and operates more than 5 million square feet of commercial, industrial and retail properties, 2,000 luxury apartment homes and has extensive land holdings throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

More power

35-MW New Jersey solar portfolio acquired by CleanCapital

CleanCapital announced the acquisition of a nearly 35-megawatt portfolio of operating solar assets here in the Garden State Feb. 22, including at some well-known sites and communities.

The portfolio of projects, which all began operating in 2019, serve a number of commercial and industrial off-takers (C&I), including Six Flags theme park, CentraState Healthcare System, the Borough of Carlstadt and a manufacturing facility.

New York-based CleanCapital said the acquisitions continue a string of investments in this sector. The portfolio of projects, which range in size from 1.6 MW to 23.4 MW, bring CleanCapital’s investments in clean energy to more than 400 MW in total.

“CleanCapital has shown that it is a leader in deploying capital in this sector, as evidenced by the 200-plus projects we have acquired and operated to date,” said Thomas Byrne, CEO of CleanCapital, in a statement. “This most recent acquisition in New Jersey is exemplary of our focus on middle-market solar and energy storage, which we believe is a critical – but still underinvested – segment of the renewable energy market. Each of these acquisitions represents momentum in the energy transition. As a company that is dedicated to building a clean, sustainable future for everyone, we are proud to invest in portfolios such as this.”

New York-based CleanCapital acquired a nearly 35-megawatt portfolio of operating solar assets in the Garden State. – CLEANCAPITAL

The announcement also comes on the heels of Gov. Phil Murphy’s recent speech and actions accelerating the state’s clean energy goals.

In a press release, Julia Bell, chief commercial officer at CleanCapital, said that the C&I sector is increasingly turning to solar to decarbonize, pointing to a 2022 study that showed that 14% of all installed solar capacity in the country came from that sector.

“It’s also good business,” Bell explained. “Renewables are the most reliable and affordable way to power infrastructure, and American companies are installing record-levels of solar to power their operations. As a trusted asset owner, we’ve proven time and time again our capacity to ensure long-term optimal project performance for these businesses.”

“GoldenSet Capital, on behalf of North Sky Capital’s Alliance Fund II to which it acts as subadvisor, has been involved with these projects since their development stage and is delighted to see them pass into the capable hands of CleanCapital,” said Everett Smith, CEO of GoldenSet, in a statement. “They represent a valuable distributed generation resource for New Jersey and will provide clean renewable power for decades to come.”

Solar streak

CEP Renewables begins work on Southampton community solar project

CEP Renewables and CS Energy have started construction on the 10-megawatt BEMS community solar landfill project on the Big Hill Landfill in Southampton — The BEMS solar landfill project in Southampton is using the ballasted solar racking solution from Terrasmart, seen here. – CEP RENEWABLES

CEP Renewables and CS Energy started construction on the 10-megawatt BEMS community solar landfill project on the Big Hill Landfill in Southampton, CEP announced Dec. 12.

The Red Bank-based company – which recently completed the state’s largest capped landfill solar array in Mount Olive in partnership with NJR Clean Energy Ventures – said the Southampton project will serve low- to moderate-income residents and will enable the township to recoup 40 years of back taxes and interest.

CEP said the Southampton project will produce enough clean energy to power 2,000 households.

Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration has placed a priority on clean energy, with the Energy Master Plan calling for the state to produce all its energy through clean sources by 2050.

By the numbers

There are more than 10,000 closed landfills in the U.S., which are capable of hosting more than 60 GW of solar capacity – enough to power 7.8 million homes, according to CEP Renewables.
There has been an 80% increase in solar landfill projects over the past five years.

CEP Executive Vice President Chris Ichter said in statement that the project, which is expected to be complete by May 2023, is similar to the Mount Olive job in that it was purchased by way of the redevelopment and tax lien foreclosure process, “a structure that was entirely unique before the Mount Olive project.”

Like the Mount Olive site, the Big Hill landfill area had been long abandoned and accrued millions in tax liens. As part of a public-private partnership, CEP acquired the tax liens from the township, paid back all past-due taxes, foreclosed on the property and is now the owner of the site.

CEP Renewables – which designs, develops and builds grid-connected, utility-scale solar projects – is partnering with engineering, procurement and construction energy firm CS Energy on the project.

“We look forward to working alongside CEP Renewables to convert a previously unusable site into a solar generating field that will provide substantial environmental and financial benefits to this local community,” said Michael Dillon, director of operations at Edison-based CS Energy.

According to CEP, the company has 16 landfill or brownfield projects in the works.

NJ Resources subsidiary completes record solar project (updated)

25.6-MW Mount Olive solar landfill project — Red Bank-based CEP Renewables designed, engineered and permitted the 25.6-megawatt Mount Olive solar landfill project. – CEP RENEWABLES

The renewable energy subsidiary of Wall-based New Jersey Resources completed a 25.6-megawatt (MW) solar project in Mount Olive — making it the largest capped landfill solar array in the state and one of the largest in North America, according to a Nov. 30 announcement.

Located on the site of the former Combe Fill North Landfill, the ground-mounted solar array features approximately 56,900 solar panels and will provide enough clean energy to power more than 4,000 homes, and reduce emissions by 23,940 tons, a year, according to NJR Clean Energy Ventures.

The landfill operated from 1966 to 1982, the company said, when it was placed on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Priorities List of Superfund sites.

Steve Westhoven, president and CEO, New Jersey Resources. — Westhoven

“NJR Clean Energy Ventures is committed to building a clean energy future with projects like the Mount Olive solar field,” NJ Resources President and CEO Steve Westhoven said in a statement. “By repurposing landfills and other underutilized spaces to produce clean, renewable energy, NJR is helping to power a bright, sustainable future, today and delivering clean energy innovations that drive New Jersey toward our clean energy goals.”

Gov. Phil Murphy’s Energy Master Plan aims to convert the state to 100% clean energy by 2050.

NJR Clean Energy Ventures owns and will operate the facility, which covers 102 acres of underutilized brown field. The clean power produced at the site will feed into the local distribution system and be sold into the wholesale energy market through regional electrical grid operator PJM Interconnection, which is headquartered in Pennsylvania.

The Mount Olive project was designed, engineered and permitted by Red Bank-based CEP Renewables LLC. According to a Dec. 2 statement from CEP, this project enabled the township to recoup nearly $2.3 million in past taxes.

To date, NJR Clean Energy Ventures has invested more than $1 billion in residential and commercial solar projects throughout New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 7:28 a.m. ET Dec. 5 to include a photo of the project as well as tax information from CEP.

Berkeley Heights gets its biggest solar parking canopy

Located within the 185-acre work-life campus The Park, Berkeley Heights recently celebrated the unveiling of its largest solar canopy installation.

Berkeley Heights Mayor Angie Devanney joined executives from The Connell Co. and Brightcore Energy Oct. 26 to commemorate the project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. According to the announcement, the site is expected to generate approximately 4.9 million kilowatts annually, or enough carbon-free electricity to power 560 homes over the next three decades.

Based in the municipality, The Connell Co. is the privately owned and managed real estate, hospitality and equipment leasing firm behind The Park. New York-based BrightCore is a provider of end-to-end clean energy solutions for the commercial and institutional markets.

According to the partners, the project is also one of the largest solar parking canopy installations in the state.

The Park in Berkeley Heights is a 185-acre campus featuring 1.5 million square feet of premier Class A office and flexible workspaces in addition to green spaces and amenities. — The Park in Berkeley Heights is a 185-acre campus. – THE PARK

It consists of 9,158 solar panels, which are affixed to the parking canopy structures and the rooftop of 100 Connell Drive — where Fiserv set up its new innovation hub. The panels cover 1,500 parking spaces, including 38 electric vehicle charging stations. The panels occupy 100,000 square feet of the building’s roof.

“At The Park, we are constantly looking for opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint,” The Connell Co. Executive Vice President Shane Connell said in a statement. “Sustainability remains top of mind as we consider how to transform and improve the office experience in ways that not only lead to increased tenant and employee satisfaction, but also contribute to the greater good of our community.

“Brightcore has been an ideal energy service provider in cultivating a more green campus and we’re very proud to see this initiative come to fruition,” he added.

Brightcore also developed another rooftop-mounted solar installation at The Park, atop 200 Connell Drive. The company estimates that the new project will amount to cost savings of $496,843 annually, based on an assumed 10 cent/kWh of avoided utility cost, or more than $12.4 million over the system’s expected 25-year life span.

The Park is currently undergoing a phased upgrade plan that is expected to be completed in 2023. Home to companies including L’Oreal and Samsung, the campus offers 1.5 million square feet of Class A office and flexible workspace, a 176-room Embassy Suites hotel, fitness and health amenities, a Life Time Fitness, green spaces for active and passive recreation, and a 40,000-square-foot coworking space: Round Table Studios.

NJBPU awards 165 MW for year 2 community solar pilot

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved 105 applications on Oct. 28 to participate in year two of New Jersey’s Community Solar Energy Pilot Program, making 165 megawatts – or enough to power approximately 33,000 homes – available to low-to-moderate income and historically underserved communities.

“Our Community Solar Pilot Program is a national model for clean energy equity and environmental justice,” said Gov. Phil Murphy in a prepared statement. “This program not only makes solar available to those in historically underserved communities, but also will spur economic growth and create career opportunities for a diverse, more inclusive workforce. Community solar is a key pillar in our commitment to transition New Jersey away from harmful emissions and towards 100 percent clean energy by 2050.”

A community solar project is a solar array whose output is divided between multiple homes or businesses that want to use renewable energy but don’t have a solar array on-site, whether because they rent and lack control of their roof, live in an apartment or multifamily building, or cannot afford the cost of a solar installation.

Community solar programs aim to create a more equitable solar market.

NJBPU President Joseph Fiordaliso speaks during a press conference held by Gov. Phil Murphy on the Nor’easter at the Statewide Traffic Management Center in Woodbridge on Oct. 26, 2021. – JOSUE LORA / NJ GOVERNOR’S OFFICE

“Community Solar is a critical component of our solar programs in making sure that the clean energy and cost savings of solar are available to everyone,” NJBPU President Joseph Fiordaliso. “It is especially important that these benefits are available to environmental justice and low-income communities when they have been underserved for so long. I look forward to making our successful pilot program into a permanent program.”

The year two projects will each allocate a minimum of 51% of their capacity to low- and moderate-income participants. They will all be located on landfills, brownfields or rooftops.

Though 105 projects were approved, the NJBPU received 412 applications, representing almost 804 MW, for the second pilot year.

Fiordaliso announced earlier in October that the board would move forward with steps to make the Community Solar Pilot Program permanent.

As such, there will not be a third year of the pilot program. Rather, the BPU will move directly into the permanent program, anticipated to be up and running next year.

In the pilot program’s first year, the board received a total of 252 applications representing more than 650 MW of total capacity, and approved 45 applications providing almost 78 MW in solar energy capacity, the announcement said.

CEP Renewables develops phase 2 of 16-megawatt solar project

CEP Renewables LLC said Sept. 20 that the land is readied for the second phase of its 16-megawatt solar project sited on the abandoned Hughesville Paper Mill in the Township of Holland.

Construction is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2021. Each phase of the solar project is 8 megawatts and, together, each will contribute to New Jersey’s Energy Master Plan with enough energy to power almost 3,000 homes annually.

These clean power plants create jobs, generate significant tax and lease revenues, and improve the quality of the environment for the local community.

Built in 1907, The Milford Paper Mill property encompassed more than 73 acres. When it closed in 2003, only 21 acres could be built on. It was listed as a Superfund site in 2009 and the Environmental Protection Agency conducted several elements of the site’s cleanup. The process included removing hazardous materials, storage tanks, oil-containing electrical equipment, asbestos, construction and demolition debris, concrete, scrap metal, and more than 10,500 cubic yards of contaminated soil.

The 8-megawatt Milford Solar Project was the first clean power plant constructed on the abandoned mill site in Milford. - PRNEWSWIRE — The 8-megawatt Milford Solar Project was the first clean power plant constructed on the abandoned mill site in Milford. – PRNEWSWIRE

The 8-megawatt Milford Solar Project was the first clean power plant constructed on the abandoned mill site in Milford, New Jersey.

“The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, along with the state governor are taking steps that will have a long-term positive impact for the people of New Jersey. We are so pleased to be a part of the work toward achieving their established goals of building a clean energy economy that translates to good-paying jobs, improves the environments of communities across the state, and puts New Jersey on the road to 100% clean energy by 2050,” commented Gary Cicero, chief executive officer of CEP Renewables.

“These types of projects can be transformative for communities,” he said. “They deliver significant revenues to help meet annual municipal budget targets and clean up legacy contaminated properties that have presented a myriad of financial and environmental challenges to the community.”

“Executing the development, design, and construction of a solar power plant on a site with this kind of environmental history requires a highly experienced team,” said Alyssa Sarubbi, project manager for CEP Renewables. “We have the resources and the network necessary to build a clean energy plant that will be a quiet, clean and reliable power source. At CEP Renewables, we take our job very seriously and we’re dedicated to delivering the highest quality in our work.”

Cushman & Wakefield arranges sale of Pohatcong solar farm

I-78 Solar Farm, Pohatcong. – CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD

Cushman & Wakefield arranged the sale of I-78 Solar Farm, a 49-acre site located just off Exit 3 of Interstate 78 in Warren County, the real estate services firm announced on Sept. 13. The final sale price was $3,500,000.

Cushman & Wakefield’s Andy Merin, Kyle Schmidt, Andrew Schwartz, Jordan Sobel and Andre Balthazard represented the seller, RDG at Pohatcong LLC, and procured the buyer, Turner Group.

“Considering the enormous barrier to entry and the fact this site took 10 years of planning, negotiating and constructing to ultimately come online in January 2020, it’s no surprise that we saw strong interest in the I-78 Solar Farm,” said Schwartz.

The property is fully leased to NJR Clean Energy Ventures III, a subsidiary of New Jersey Resources Corp., on a long-term basis. I-78 Solar Farm houses a brand new, state-of-the-art 10-megawatt solar farm installed and operated by NJR Clean Energy Ventures III—the largest owner-operator of solar farms in the state of New Jersey, with more than 50 solar farms in its portfolio.

The site is part of an overall 170-acre development, which, once constructed, will include 244 single-family townhomes and a 120-unit apartment complex.

Community solar project powers Bergen, Essex, Hudson & Passaic county homes

Solar Landscape said Aug. 27 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 Wood Ridge borough on the rooftop of Duke Realty’s warehouse at 5 Ethel Blvd., is now powering more than 375 local homes with clean solar energy: almost 2.8 million kilowatt-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.”

**Click to watch**: NJBIZ Editor Jeff Kanige speaks with Shaun Keegan, the co-founder and CEO of Solar Landscape on Oct. 28, 2020. –

“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,” Keegan continued.

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.”

The project is part of Year One of the NJBPU’s Community Solar Energy Pilot Program, which is administered by New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program. 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.

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