The project brings a new twist to “solar+storage.”
A 500 kW community solar system has been completed on the roofs of Extra Space Storage in Neptune, New Jersey.
The project is the first of a 10-project, 6.5 MW portfolio being developed by Solar Landscape on Extra Space Storage facilities as part of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Community Solar Pilot Program.
The Neptune project is the first of 46 community solar projects to be completed in the program’s ‘Year 2’ phase.
In total, Extra Space Storage’s New Jersey community solar portfolio will cover 800,000 sq. ft. and power over 1,400 nearby homes.
“This new effort to bring solar power to the local community is an exciting development,” said McKall Morris, Extra Space Storage’s senior manager of communications and sustainability. “Partnering with Solar Landscape on this project aligns perfectly with our commitments to be good corporate citizens and to participate in environmental initiatives that are positive for our communities, customers, employees, and shareholders.”
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Storage unit facilities make for perfect sites for community solar projects. Their flat, expansive roofs present a path to clean energy for homeowners and businesses who can’t install solar panels themselves.
Extra Space has been installing solar on its storage facilities for more than a decade. In 2021 alone, the company invested $17.7 million in solar projects.
Currently, 53% of Extra Space-owned facilities have solar panels installed onsite.
Gov. Phil Murphy surveys the first community solar project energized in New Jersey on Jan. 28, 2021. The project, constructed in Perth Amboy by New Jersey developer Solar Landscape, was developed as part of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities’ Community Solar Energy Pilot Program. (Courtesy: New Jersey Governor’s Office) Through the New Jersey Community Solar Energy Pilot Program’s Year 1 and 2, Solar Landscape has 70 MW of solar energy built or under construction. The company currently owns and operates more than half – eight out of 14 – of New Jersey’s active community solar projects.
The projects have generated more than 22.63-gigawatt hours of emissions-free electricity to date.
In Jan. 2021, Gov. Phil Murphy toured the first community solar project energized in New Jersey (seen in photo above). The project was developed by Solar Landscape in Perth Amboy.
