Navisun’s Community Solar Landfill Project in Linden, New Jersey to Expand Equitable Clean Energy Access as it Nears Completion
Repurposed Linden landfill site to provide more affordable solar energy and guaranteed savings for local residents
Hingham, MA, August 16th, 2021 – Navisun LLC, a solar independent power producer that co-develops, acquires, owns, and operates distributed and small utility-scale solar projects, announced that its Linden Hawk Rise 4.5 MW community solar project in Union County, New Jersey is nearing completion. Built on the City of Linden’s former landfill, this project is converting a previously unusable site into a productive solar farm that will provide more affordable clean energy access to about 800 residents, over half of whom are low- and moderate-income (LMI).
The Linden Hawk Rise project is one of 45 solar projects, totaling 78 MW, that the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) rigorously reviewed, scored and awarded in Program Year 1 of New Jersey’s Community Solar Energy Pilot Program. As part of the program, the Linden Hawk Rise project enables PSE&G utility customers in Linden and adjacent municipalities to access clean energy from solar energy projects located remotely from their property – without having to purchase and install solar panels. To expand equitable access to clean electricity, the program also provides guaranteed savings of 10 to 15 percent for all customers. Residents who are interested can go to https://njlocalsolar.com/ or call (732) 847-4876 to sign up.
“We are pleased to support both the City of Linden as well as the State of New Jersey in leading the way forward to our collective carbon-free future by providing clean energy access, and associated savings, to local residents,” said Carl Engelbourg, Marketing Consultant at Navisun. “As a long-term owner and operator of community solar facilities, we are proud to work with the community and be a part of New Jersey’s community solar pilot program.”
Clean energy equity is a critical goal of New Jersey Governor Murphy’s push to 100 percent clean energy by 2050. It is estimated that only half of U.S. residents have rooftops suitable for solar energy installations, as nearly 80 percent of U.S. states now have community solar projects in place to overcome this clean energy access disparity. With over 135,000 solar installations, New Jersey is the number one state in the country for installed solar capacity per square mile, and has the most planned community solar capacity serving LMI households. Due to the success of Program Year 1 of the state’s community solar pilot program thus far, the NJBPU doubled the size of Program Year 2 projects awards, all of which include LMI requirements.
The rules for New Jersey’s nation-leading community solar program were set by the NJBPU, which continues to closely regulate the program. Subscribers can cancel their subscription at any time, do not have any upfront costs, and will have their bill credits shown clearly on their PSE&G bills. Subscriber payment information is also protected by Payment Card Industry compliance standards. For more information and to subscribe to clean energy access, and associated savings, from the Linden Hawk Rise project, please visit: https://njlocalsolar.com/