Dive Summary:
- New Jersey's Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G) is looking to spend $247 million in five years to place solar grids on closed landfills instead of farmland as strive to meet goals introduced by New Jersey Governor Christie's administration.
- After searching 1,000 landfills to find the site best suited for a new solar farm, consultants chose 22 contenders that are being considered as site for renewable energy generation.
- Western Solutions, the consultant hired by PSE&G to determine the best sites for this project, based their decision on 45 different criteria, ranging from amount of land available to proximity to the regional power grid.
From the article:
The program envisions building 42 megawatts of new solar capacity on the former dumps. If that target is achieved, it would make New Jersey the national leader in redeveloping brownfields and landfills, according to Todd Hranicka, director of solar energy for PSE&G.
"We've got thousands of acres of brownfields and landfills," said Hahn, [a principal of Solis Partners, a leading solar developer in the state] who noted New Jersey's population density prevents it from creating grid-supply projects that otherwise might move forward. "It's a great use for property that can't be developed for commercial or residential use. It represents a vast untapped resource."
