BERKELEY – The township is in the beginning stages of building solar panels over their closed landfill.
At a recent Township Council meeting, Berkeley went out to bid on an energy company to install them.
“Our project will be a beneficial reuse of the old township landfill located behind Public Works,” Mayor Carmen Amato said. “We expect these companies to provide bids to lease land from the township to construct a solar array on the old landfill. The bidders are responsible for all costs associated with the project, so there is no cost to the taxpayer.
“The successful bidder will then have the ability to sell energy to consumers through a new program known as the Community Solar Program (CSP),” he added. “The CSP is a competitive program through run the Board of Public Utilities and the bidders will be required to apply and hopefully gain approval to enter the program. Our local Berkeley residents will have the option to opt into the program and save on their electric bills.”
A resolution was passed authorizing the town to receive proposals for the installation and maintenance of the panels. There are state incentives that might be available to the successful bidder.
“My administration and the Council have set goals for resiliency and green initiatives. A part of these goals is to encourage alternative energy such as solar power,” Amato said. “We are thinking ‘outside the box’ to find ways to generate revenue for the township on township land.”
The mayor said the project is a win-win, since it will generate revenue for the town on one hand, and on the other hand, residents have the option to buy electricity at a discounted rate.
There’s no timeline on this project yet. The Public Works is located on Pinewald-Keswick Road.
