Solar Landscape Valcor Engineering project in Springfield N.J.
Solar Landscape, a solar energy company specializing in large commercial solar installations, was awarded more than 20 megawatts of rooftop solar projects as part of the first round of New Jersey’s community solar pilot program.
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) selected Solar Landscape’s projects as part of the 77.61 megawatts it awarded for the first year of the three-year pilot program. The eight-project allocation, totaling 20.35 MWDC represents more than 53% of the first-round’s rooftop solar approvals.
“We are pleased to be part of the pilot program and excited about the very real economic and environmental benefits our projects will bring to these communities” said Solar Landscape’s CoFounder and CEO, Shaun Keegan. “Affordable, clean energy will now be easily available to everyone without the need to have solar panels on their roof. We are proud to afford residents and businesses the opportunity to save money and lower carbon emissions through a completed solar project within their community.”
The state’s Community Solar legislation was passed in May of 2018 as part of the state’s Clean Energy Act. The property owner benefits by receiving a lease payment for hosting the solar array on the facility’s rooftop.
“The key differentiator for us in the process is that we have the best team in the industry, and we have a client first mentality” said Corey Gross, Co-Founder and COO at Solar Landscape. “In this case, the client isn’t just the property owner, but the community as well. We’re committed to building on this momentum and replicating its success with additional projects throughout New Jersey and the country.”
This Morris Hills school project was completed with Morris Knolls via RFP and financed
through the NJ ESIP program.
When completed, the Solar Landscape projects will deliver more than 24 million kilowatt hours of electricity in the first year, and more than 475 million kilowatt hours over the 20-year term of the agreement. It would take more than 345,000 tons of burned coal to generate the equivalent amount of power.
As part of the Community Solar program, Solar Landscape is partnering with organizations that foster self-reliant families and healthy, sustainable communities to provide local solar energy job training and professional certification.
“We have secured five classroom locations throughout the state and will perform on the job, rooftop solar installation training as well,” said Gross. Solar Landscape will be responsible for the projects’ development, installation and maintenance.
“We commend the BPU and Governor Murphy for their foresight in bringing community solar to New Jersey. We spent more than a year preparing for this program by engaging and partnering with some of the most well-respected non-profits and affordable housing providers in the state” said Mark Schottinger, the company’s in-house counsel. “We believe in the Governor’s vision to provide clean energy to our state’s residents and expand access to renewable energy for low- and moderate-income communities who have been previously unable to enjoy its benefits. We are looking forward to the successful completion of these projects and the good they will bring to local communities.”
More on N.J.’s community solar program
As a participant in New Jersey’s Community Solar Program, the projects will provide homeowners, renters, and businesses with the benefits of solar energy without the cost of equipment, installation and maintenance. The Solar Landscape projects will generate clean electricity and prevent 37 million of pounds of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere each year.
Participants in the program will receive clean, renewable energy at a discount with 51% of the electricity provided by the projects to be sold to low- and moderate-income households. Moreover, Solar Landscape has partnered with non-profit organizations to provide no-cost solar energy job training at five locations throughout the state. Interest in solar power as a sustainable energy source has steadily grown since its introduction. The cost to install solar has dropped by more than 70% over the last decade, leading the industry to expand into new markets and deploy thousands of systems nationwide.
— Solar Builder magazine
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