The South Hunterdon Renewable Energy Co-Op is an organized Municipal Co Op representing the City of Lambertville and West Amwell Township. Participants include: City of Lambertville, Lambertville Board of Education, Lambertville Municipal Utilities Authority, West Amwell Township, West Amwell Elementary School, and South Hunterdon Regional High School.
SOUTH HUNTERDON ENERGY COOPERATIVE SIGNS SOLAR DEAL THAT WILL SAVE TAXPAYERS $2.5 MILLION
(LAMBERTVILLE) -- Mayor David DelVecchio presided over the signing ceremony of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Swan Creek Energy that will that will save taxpayers $2.5 million through the South Hunterdon Energy Cooperative (SHREC), a joint venture of local communities participating in shared services through this large-scale renewable solar energy project.
New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Lori Grifa attended the ceremony. Mayor DelVecchio and Swan Creek Energy President Bradley M. Campbell were joined in signing the contract by Lambertville Public School Board President Steve Wolock, West Amwell Mayor George Fisher, West Amwell Elementary Superintendent Dr. Todd Fay, South Hunterdon Board of Education President Robert Campbell.
Members of SHREC include: the City of Lambertville, Lambertville Public School, Lambertville Municipal Authority (LMUA), the township of West Amwell, West Amwell Elementary School, and South Hunterdon Regional High School. The multifaceted benefits of the SHREC project include: West Amwell, South Hunterdon and the City of Lambertville paying 8.6 cents per kilowatt hour compared to rates as high as 19 cents per kilowatt hour; West Amwell will receive $30,000 in annual rent payments for housing the solar array; the City of Lambertville and Lambertville Public School will share $75,000 in funding to support energy efficient programs and learning; and the LMUA will receive $25,000 to support a hydroelectric study along the Delaware River.
“We are working together to make shared services part of South Hunterdon’s efforts to promote environmental sustainability through the use of renewable solar energy that will reduce our communities’ energy bills and provide nearly $2.5 million in taxpayer savings,” said Mayor DelVecchio. “Our cooperative efforts will enable our special communities to implement the use of renewable solar energy that will significantly improve energy efficiency, reduce the size of our carbon footprint, and ensure the environmental health of our communities.”
“The SHREC cooperative agreement will serve as a statewide model for shared services while promoting energy efficiency, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and lowering energy costs for participating municipalities and schools, “ said Commissioner Grifa. “This project will produce critical savings for taxpayers while furthering the state’s goals of cutting greenhouse gases and advancing the use of renewable energy.”
The solar energy system will include two ground arrays and a rooftop solar array that jointly will generate 941 kW, enough power to support 90 homes. The solar energy project also would provide critical reductions in carbon dioxide emissions by cutting green house gases by 9, 630 tons which is equivalent to removing 1, 605 passenger cars from roadways or planting 128 acres of trees.
The SHREC solar project also will incorporate a pilot renewable energy project to explore hydroelectric power along the Delaware River and provide $75,000 in funding to support local programs to further decrease energy demands and improve efficiency for municipalities and schools participating in the SHREC project.
“The benefits of this shared service project are multifaceted, each of the participating communities will reap benefits from significantly lowered energy bills, reduced reliance on fossil fuels, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and improved energy efficiency,” said Bradley Campbell, president of the Swan Creek Energy, the company developing and financing the SHREC solar project. “This solar project is the first of its kind in New Jersey because these communities are utilizing shared services that will enable them to capitalize on benefits available that were previously reserved for large communities pursuing renewable energy projects.”
Swan Creek Energy is a New Jersey-based renewable energy company that owns, develops, and finances renewable energy projects. The New Jersey company is currently developing solar energy projects across New Jersey. Bradley M. Campbell, a former Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and a former regional administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, serves as a president of the solar energy firm based in downtown Trenton.
For additional information on the SHREC project visit the City of Lambertville’s Web site at www.lambertvillenj.org.
|