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TagsBY BOB HOLT
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
How many local residents realize that New Jersey is now second only to California in the use of solar power?
It's true. The state is generating more than 250 megawatts of electric capacity (equal to one midsized coal or natural gas plant). On a per square mile basis, New Jersey is easily No. 1 when it comes to going green with solar power.
And NJ.com reports in the past month in New Jersey, two projects have been announced that would double what is thought to be the current record for an installation, a FedEx facility in Woodbridge.
Jersey Gardens Mall in Elizabeth announced plans for a solar installation on the mall's roof. Set to be completed in August, it will produce 4.8 megawatts, 11 percent of the mall's energy needs, according to numbers from Public Service Electric & Gas Company.
That project is right on line with one planned in Carteret on the roof of a distribution center for White Rose Inc., slated to produce 5 megawatts of energy a year.
According to njspotlight.com, it costs about two-tenths of a penny per kilowatt hour per month for a residential ratepayer to help promote solar development.
Retail rates for electricity come to about 15 cents per kilowatt hour. In other words, solar costs less than 1 percent of a ratepayer's utility bill. (This data is from a recent study by the Rutgers Center for Energy, Economic & Environmental Policy commissioned by the BPU.)
In November, PSE&G reported that it marked the first phase of construction at its Yardville Solar Farm in Hamilton Township, N.J. The 4.4-megawatt facility is one of four ground-mounted solar farms that the utility is developing as part of its $515 million Solar 4 All program. Through the program, PSE&G expects to develop more than 20 solar projects, which represents an investment of more than $140 million that will create almost 300 jobs and provide New Jersey with 30 megawatts of solar-generated power.
It's no coincidence that the state is an epicenter of solar growth in the country, experts say.
With varying incentives in place through 2026, the state should see plenty of record-breaking projects, said Shayle Kann, managing director of solar for GTM Research, which analyzes the market. "New Jersey's market is certainly more mature than any other state, other than California," Kann said. "Last year was a great year, (and) 2011, we also expect to be a very strong year in New Jersey."
