Click here for a full copy of today’s EnviroPolitics

Click herefor your FREE copy of today’s EnviroPolitics
Like it? Get 30 more issues of EnviroPolitics without charge or obligation

EnviroPolitics reports the latest energy and environment news, legislation, opinion — and the politics that drive them–in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware and beyond!

• From every daily newspaper and other regional information sources. In a headline and summary format that saves time. 
• Scan, then click on the headlines that interest you to open the full stories at their original sources.

PLUS – Track all energy and environment legislation in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Follow bills from introduction to enactment

PLUS – Enviro-Events Calendar – Listings of upcoming environmental events: Seminars, conferences, forums, socials, training, webinars, and other great networking opportunities

PLUS – Enviro-Politics Blog Daily reports on energy, environment and political developments making headlines in the professions and industries dealing with chemicals, petroleum, natural gas, utilities, water and wastewater treatment, solid waste, recycling, site remediation, farming, mining, manufacturing, planning and development, green building, smart growth, zoning, sprawl ….and (whew) much more

CHECK US OUT — Sign up now for a: FREE 30-Day Trial 

Questions? Feel free to contact us at 609-577-9017 or Editor@EnviroPolitics.com

By Kelsey Misbrener , Solar Power World

The Flemington Area Food Pantry, serving Hunterdon County, New Jersey, celebrated and unveiled their brand new solar array installation with a ribbon cutting on Nov. 18 at the Flemington Area Food Pantry.

This project was made possible by a collaborative donation effort amongst notable solar industry leaders and community volunteers, each supplying their individual components.

Among all of the parties who contributed to make the installation a reality, the pantry has one in particular to thank — North Hunterdon High School student, Evan Kuster.

“As a volunteer at the Food Pantry, I was aware that they had a significant electricity expense for their refrigerators and freezers and thought that solar energy could save their budget,” shared Kuster, North Hunterdon High School student, Class of 2022. “My dad works at a solar energy development company called Merit SI, and he suggested we ask for donations to fund the system.”

So the Kusters asked, and solar industry leaders responded. Rallying around their vision of impact, a full slate of project partners including First Solar, OMCO Solar, SMA America and Pro Circuit Electrical Contracting signed on to the project. Collectively, they donated an entire solar installation to the pantry, relieving an annual electricity bill of $10,556 (2019). Now, the new 33-kW system allows those funds to be allocated towards the purchase of food for their community — enough to prepare 6,360 meals.

Jeannine Gorman, executive director of the Flemington Area Food Pantry, emphasized the gravity of this new asset. “Every dollar we spend on our electric bill is one less dollar we can spend on food for the community,” said Gorman. “We carry out our mission on a daily basis; it’s so motivational for us to know that professionals care enough to donate their time, talent and supplies to help us continue to serve our community’s needs.”

Read the full story

Don’t miss information like this. Click to receive free EP Blog updates

Tom Johnson reports for NJ Spotlight

New Jersey is joining with the nation’s largest electrical grid operator to try to answer one of the big questions in offshore wind: how to bring the power from wind farms to customers at an affordable cost.

The agreement with PJM Interconnection, a regional grid operator the state has often battled with in recent years, will allow the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to open a competitive bidding process early next year to build transmission facilities for future wind farms.

Such an arrangement is viewed by state officials as potentially a more cost-effective and environmentally benign way of bringing the wind energy ashore. It could also result in the building of an offshore wind transmission backbone that would allow developers to wheel power to where demand is the highest, one of the biggest disputes in advancing the sector.

Costs of coming ashore

The issue of transmission costs — the expense of bringing electricity onshore and the upgrades needed to the current transmission systems to accommodate more power on their lines — is one of the biggest unknowns in offshore-wind development. The solution has big implications for ratepayers, who will pay for those farms.

A study earlier this year by the Business Network of Offshore Wind projected if all of the offshore wind farms proposed in New Jersey and four other coastal states are built, it would result in offshore transmission costs of between $15 billion and $20 billion.

For years, some companies have advocated building an offshore backbone wind-transmission facility, including a Google-funded initiative for one stretching from Virginia to New Jersey. Without support from states, however, the project has been shelved, although other companies have proposed building it.

In New Jersey, the state’s first offshore wind farm will be a 1,100-megawatt facility off Atlantic City developed by Ørsted. The company will build its own interconnections with onshore transmission facilities, a model to be used in next offshore wind solicitation later this year.

State officials said the new approach will help ensure New Jersey achieves the goal of 7,500 megawatts of offshore wind energy by 2035. “By exploring offshore wind transmission options … we’ll work collaboratively with PJM to identify potential solutions that meets the state’s needs and ensure the best value for ratepayers,’’ said BPU President Joseph Fiordaliso.

Read the full story

If you liked this post you’ll love our daily newsletter, EnviroPolitics. It’s packed with the latest news, commentary and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Try it free for an entire month.