Solar Carport Completed at New Jersey Meadowlands Commission Headquarters
SunDurance Energy and Solaire Generation announced the commissioning of a 120-kW solar carport at the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) headquarters in Lyndhurst, N.J.. The canopy, which covers a section of the main parking lot, will provide almost 20 percent of the administration building’s electricity needs.
“The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission’s Solar Canopy reflects Governor Christie’s forward-thinking energy policy, which demonstrates that economic growth, helping the environment and achieving cost savings go hand-in-hand,” said Richard E. Constable, III, Acting Chairman of the Meadowlands Commission and Acting Commissioner of the State Department of Community Affairs. “Through this latest solar initiative, the Commission continues to be a regional leader in the production of critical renewable energy projects that will lead to a sustainable environmental and economic energy future for New Jersey.”
The 230-foot-long, 15-foot high canopy includes 504 PV panels and is the latest tangible example of New Jersey’s national status as a solar energy leader. The project advances the Energy Master Plan’s aggressive and realistic goal of generating 22.5 percent of the State’s electricity from renewable energy sources by 2021. The solar project was designed and constructed by SunDurance Energy using the Premium F2 solar parking structure designed, engineered and fabricated by Solaire Generation.
The NJMC’s entire campus now receives 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, thanks to the energy generated from the new canopy combined with renewable power imported to the campus from the NJMC 1A Landfill solar system via a third-party electricity supplier, the NJMC 1A Landfill solar project was also designed and constructed by SunDurance Energy.
The solar canopy also provides an up-close look at the benefits of renewable energy for the more than 15,000 students who participate in the NJMC’s environmental education programs. Students will be able to monitor the electricity generated by the solar panels in real time and Meadowlands Environment Center educators can incorporate the canopy into their lessons on renewable energy.
“We are thrilled to have provided a project that so ably demonstrates the many impacts a solar project can have,” said Al Bucknam, CEO of SunDurance Energy. “Not only is the system offsetting a significant portion of NJMC’s electricity usage, it is providing a public statement of the Christie Administration’s focus on sustainability and a powerful educational tool for our children.”
