1. Fork in the Road for Solar
Energy in NJ:
Redevelopment or Open Lands?
New Jersey Future Redevelopment Forum
March 9, 2012
Chris Sturm

2. Solar Energy is “White Hot” in New Jersey
600
500
Installed Capacity (MW)
Total Installed Capacity (MW)
400
300
200
100
0
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

3. Total Photovoltaic Capacity, 2008-2011
1600
1400
1200
2008
Cumulatie Installed Capacity (MW)
1000
2009
800
2010
600 2011
400
200
0
California New Jersey Colorado Arizona Nevada
Source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory; Solar Energy Industries Associatiion. Data as of September 30, 2011

4. Density of Photovoltaic Capacity, 2008-2011
70
60
Capacity per Square Mile (kW)
50
2008
40
2009
30
2010
2011
20
10
0
California New Jersey Colorada Arizona Nevada
Source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory; Solar Energy Inudustries Association; United States Census. Data as of September
30, 2011

5. Solar Capacity by Mounting Type (MW)
12/13/2011
13
17 Roof (70%)
Ground (23%)
98
Pole (3%)
Unknown (4%)
297

6. A Market Driven by Incentives

7. Solar Targets from the Renewable Portfolio Standard:
4,005 MW needed by 2026
Source: Advance & Rutgers Report: Solar Power in the Garden State

8. Meeting 2026 solar goals could consume a lot
of land...
Ground-mounted systems:
• 20,600 acres or 32 square
miles needed
• Over 3.5% of farmland
• Equivalent to 70% of
Hudson County land area
Notes: Piers installed for 53,200 panels at Oak Solar Site in
Acres are estimated based on a conversion factor of 5.15 Megawatts per Fairfield Township, NJ. (NJ.com. 10-5-2011)
acre, derived from existing data for ground-mounted solar projects in New Jersey.

9. What about “redevelopment options”:
rooftops, parking, etc.?
Rooftop systems: 319 million square feet
needed
– Northern NJ industrial space
estimated at 800 million square feet
– Total commercial and industrial
impervious surfaces (buildings, parking
lots, etc.) estimated at 156,400 acres
or 6.8 billion square feet.
Notes:
• Square footage estimates are based on a conversion factor of 12.54 MW per million square
feet, typical of rootop systems.
• Industrial space: Weichert Commercial Brokerage Update, Fourth Quarter, 2011 – NJ
5 MW installation at Toys R Us in Wayne, NJ.
• Impervious surface estimates: New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, 2007; (Reepedia.com, 8/11) Parking canopy at Morris
Rowan Geospatial Research Lab, 2012. Estimates derived from commercial, industrial, and County administration parking garage.
institutional parcels.

10. ...And also brownfields and landfills
Brownfields:
• Over 10,000 in NJ
• More than 300 “Brownfield
Development Areas” on 3,300 Source: “Brownfields Economic
Development.” NJTPA – NJIT.
acres
Landfills – a DEP priority
• 5 operating solar facilities
(17.9 MW)
• 24 proposed or in development
(73.1 MW) 1.09 MW system at the Pennsauken Sanitary Landfilll.
Source: Pfisterenergy.com.

11. Uncertainty re: Future Solar Locations
• Unresolved: SREQ price & demand
• Energy Master Plan policy on solar siting
– Will incentives be tiered to favor
rooftops, landfills, brownfields?
• Legislation to ease solar access to the grid
– Any review for land use implications?

12. Thank you!
Chris Sturm
Senior Director for State Policy
csturm@njfuture.org
www.njfuture.org