New Jersey envisions 'Solar 4 All'

New Jersey’s Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) aims to develop 80 megawatts (MW) of solar power over the next three years as part of its “Solar 4 All” program.

That amount of energy would be enough to meet the electricity needs of about 13,000 homes.

In the latest project completed under the Solar 4 All program, PSE&G completed two rooftop solar installations with a total capacity of 2.8 MW on buildings owned by Matrix Development Group.

The Matrix solar panels cover more than 217,000 square feet of roof space and are connected directly to the electric grid for the benefit of all PSE&G electric customers. They will produce enough solar electricity to power about 470 average-size homes.

“This project exemplifies Solar 4 All’s innovative approach to developing solar resources while preserving open space,” said Al Matos, PSE&G’s vice president for renewables and energy solutions. “Large warehouse roofs are underserved real estate for solar development in New Jersey. By building these rooftop systems we are utilising undeveloped space, providing a valuable source of revenue to building owners unlocking economic value and creating clean solar power for all of our electric customers to use.”

Solar 4 All is a two-tiered initiative in which PSE&G uses money from solar credits, federal tax credits and the sale of solar energy to offset the overall cost of the program, returning benefits to its customers.

So far, Solar 4 All has built systems on the grounds of five Newark public schools with a capacity of 2.7 MW and a 1.7-MW rooftop solar system at a warehouse in Bayonne. PSE&G facilities also host solar systems. A 0.9 MW-system is installed on the roof of PSE&G’s central division headquarters in Somerset and the Edison Training and Development Centre has a 0.7-MW system, which includes roof, ground, carport and pole-attached installations.

The utility also has four large ground-mounted solar farms in service on PSE&G-owned properties. These solar farms are located in Yardville (4.4 MW) Linden (3.2 MW), Edison (2.0 MW) and Trenton (1.3 MW). Each is among the largest solar farms developed in New Jersey and three are built on remediated brownfields (Edison, Trenton and Linden).

State regulators approved PSE&G’s Solar 4 All program in July 2009. The program’s first segment consists of installing up to 40 megawatts of highly distributed pole-attached smart solar units in neighbourhoods on utility poles in PSE&G’s electric service territory, which includes the state’s six largest cities and roughly 300 rural and suburban communities. According to the utility, it’s the largest pole-attached solar installation in the world, with the smart solar units connected directly into PSE&G’s electric distribution system providing solar generated power to all customers.

The second segment of the Solar 4 All program focuses on 40 megawatts of centralised solar facilities, such as the Matrix system and other solar sites on PSE&G-owned or leased properties connected directly to the grid.