AC Power Submits 31 MW Portfolio to Year Two of New Jersey Community Solar Pilot Program

As the workday ended on February 5th, developers across New Jersey finalized their applications to the second year of New Jersey's Community Solar Pilot Program. Among them is AC Power, submitting nine projects for consideration by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU). If all projects are selected, AC Power's portfolio will provide 19.49 MW-dc of renewable energy in the Jersey Central Power & Light service territory and 12.04 MW-dc in the Atlantic City Electric service territory, for a total of 31.53 MW-dc of solar power. Community solar projects provide residents and businesses an opportunity to save on their electricity bills while using clean, renewable energy.

Administered by the NJBPU, the three-year program will accept over 225 MW of community solar projects to help New Jersey reach its goal of generating 100% clean energy by 2050. The second year of the program is expected to award 150 MW of community solar, doubling the capacity of projects accepted in the first year. Following selection to the first year of the program, AC Power expects two projects to begin construction this spring. A 0.83 MW-dc project on a portion of the closed Kin-Buc Landfill in Edison Township and a 1.43 MW-dc project on a former sand and gravel pit in Deptford Township. AC Power hopes to expand upon these projects with selection of projects from their 31 MW portfolio. The portfolio consists of projects sited on former landfills and resource extraction sites, including a floating solar project at a flooded former quarry.

Founded in 2016, AC Power has grown rapidly in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, maintaining its vision of redeveloping undervalued land such as landfills and brownfields to provide renewable energy to local communities. AC Power's President and Founder, Annika Colston, says, "We commend the New Jersey BPU's commitment to meeting the State's renewable energy goals while fostering environmental and social justice through the program. We are grateful to be completing projects under Program Year One and are hopeful to continue to develop projects under the second year of the program."