Those flat, bluish solar panels popping up on utility poles throughout Hoboken have been installed by Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G), but they’re not there to provide residents with any financial savings right now. Instead, they help create a greener way for New Jersey to produce its energy.
Solar panels will soon appear in all municipalities serviced by PSE&G, according to Fran Sullivan, a spokesperson for the electric and gas company.
The installation is part of the Solar4All program by PSE&G, an initiative to help the state of New Jersey reach solar energy mandates set by former Gov. Jon Corzine. By 2021, 3 percent of all electricity will have to come from a solar source, Sullivan said.
Currently, there are approximately 115,000 solar units installed throughout the state. When the installations are finished, there will be approximately 190,000 units, Sullivan said.
Residents won’t see a cost savings from the initiative.
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The Solar4All program began in 2009, and installation of solar units are expected to continue until the end of 2012, Sullivan said.
Higher bills
But the measure is not saving customers money. Currently, customers pay approximately 29 cents per month extra for the Solar4All initiative.
“That will go down over time to around 10 cents per month because right now we’re in the capital intensive time of the program,” Sullivan said.
The solar panels are paid for mostly by PSE&G, but the company receives government incentives. The company uses environmental credits to offset the cost of installation, as well as federal tax credits.
Sullivan said it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when the panels will “pay themselves off” for the company because of changing rates, but estimates that the panels should pay for themselves within the next 10 years. He said they have “at least a 20 year life span.”
In cities like Hoboken, the panels have been appearing on utility poles. In other areas of the state, they may appear in centralized locations, on a solar farm, and on rooftops.
There are solar farms in Edison, Hamilton Township, Linden, Trenton, and in five Newark public schools.
Sullivan said one major benefit of the energy generators are that they are “completely silent, basically maintenance free” and are a source of clean energy.
“All of the panels on the poles and the other programs are connected directly into the electric grid,” he said. “They really are another means of generation.”
Won’t interfere with TV
In order for solar panels to be installed, eligible polls must have unobstructed southerly exposure, access to the right voltage electric wire, and the panel can’t block access to equipment on the pole, such as a capacitor or switch for phone and cable.
One resident called The Reporter last month to say that her analog television set stopped working after the solar panels were installed. However, Sullivan said the panels should not interfere with televisions.
“They shouldn’t have an impact on anything in the house,” Sullivan said.
Solar4All’s goal is to produce an 80-megawatt program through solar energy, Sullivan said. The solar farms and roof installations will generate 40 megawatts of energy through solar power, and the other 40 megawatts are generated through the utility pole solar units.
Petra Solar, a South Plainfield firm, provides the panels. The panels are about 2.5 feet high and 5 feet wide.
Ray Smith may be reached at RSmith@hudsonreporter.com