New Jersey is putting 10 MW of community solar on warehouse roofs

Warehouse roofs are prime real estate for solar, and Faropoint is putting more of that underused space to work in New Jersey. The industrial property owner has started construction on the first of 16 community solar projects totaling more than 10 megawatts (MW).

First up is a 1.6 MW rooftop array at 19-05 Nevins Road in Fair Lawn. Another 15 projects, totaling about 8.5 MW, have been accepted into New Jersey’s Community Solar Energy Program, and nine are already cleared to start construction.

That’s more solar going onto buildings that are already there, with participating households set to get savings on their electricity bills.

Large warehouse roofs offer something solar developers need: lots of flat space. Putting panels up there gives the same building the job of generating electricity without taking up additional land.

Faropoint specializes in industrial properties used for local deliveries and distribution. “Utilizing previously unused portions of our buildings allows us to support the communities where we invest,” said Brian Nave, Faropoint’s vice president of asset management and renewable energy.

Faropoint and its independent solar adviser, SolarKal, expect the 16 projects to generate around 12.7 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity annually once they’re operating. They estimate the portfolio will avoid about 8,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year.

The community solar setup sees residents subscribe to an off-site installation and receive credits on their electricity bills. It’s a particularly good option for renters and people whose own roofs aren’t suitable for solar.

Faropoint says at least half of each project’s capacity will be reserved for low- and moderate-income households. New Jersey’s program requires a minimum of 51%.

The state is making room for more projects like these. In March, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved another 3,000 MW of community solar program capacity, enough to serve about 450,000 subscribers. At that point, the program had delivered $14 million in net savings to more than 37,000 subscribers.

Faropoint and SolarKal have not yet announced completion dates, subscription prices, or enrollment details for their New Jersey warehouse roof community solar portfolio.