Somerset County in central New Jersey may well become the most solar-powered county in the country.
That’s thanks to a three-phase solar power project that, according to NewJersey.com, will eliminate 15 million pounds in annual carbon emissions and save taxpayers over $1 million in annual energy costs over the next 15 years. It will also help generate revenue via Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs).
When all three phases are completed, Somerset County could have the highest solar installed generating capacity of any U.S. county. The solar power project will begin with a $40 million, 7.6-megawatt (MW) solar energy system that will be installed across 31 separate Somerset County sites, including government-owned rooftops, parking lots, school district buildings and the Somerset County Courthouse, among others. The system will be the largest of its kind in New Jersey — a state second only to California in installed solar energy capacity. According to Somerset County Freeholder Jack Ciattarelli, the size of the system could double in the next few years.
The Somerset County Improvement Authority contracted Vanguard Energy Partners to build and install the newest system. Under a 15-year power purchasing agreement (PPA), the county will purchase electricity at a fixed rate. New Jersey-based Noveda Technologies will contribute a web-based monitoring system to track the performance of the system in real-time.
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