New Jersey extends it Solar For All program

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) recently voted to extend Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G)’s Solar 4 All program.  

Solar 4 All program is designed to  turn landfills and brownfields into solar farms, repurposing largely unusable land in an effort to create jobs and drive economic development.

BPU’s decision sanctioned PSE&G’s plans to invest up to $80 million over the next three years to build 33 MW of solar farms on landfills and brownfields in PSE&G’s electric service territory. The addition of 33 MW will make Solar 4 All a 158-MW program.

The expected $80 million PSE&G investment brings the utility’s total expenditures to $500 million. The electricity provided by the farms is available to all of PSE&G’s 2.2 million customers, supplying solar power directly to the grid at prices 40 percent less expensive than if homeowners installed their own net-metered projects.

Last week’s decision is the second extension to Solar 4 All. The BPU originally approved the program in 2009 and was extended in 2013. Of the 158 MW currently approved, 115 MW are currently in service, and PSE&G expects an additional 10 MW to be in service by the end of 2016.

By the end of the year, PSE&G will have installed 53 MW on nine landfill and brownfield sites, covering 190 acres of landfill and brownfield space with 175,000 solar panels The electricity produced can power 8,500 homes annually.

“We have said all along that we wanted to do more through the Solar 4 All program, so we are thankful that the BPU approved this extension and excited to continue our efforts to help New Jersey reach its renewable energy goals,” said PSE&G VP of Renewables and Energy Solutions Courtney McCormick.