Largest Rooftop Solar Power Plant in North America Formally Completed

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Riverside Renewable Energy Solar Array- Largest Rooftop Solar Array in North America

New Jersey loves setting rooftop solar power records. It did in 2009 when it opened the largest solar rooftop in North America (2.4 MW of capacity), again in 2011 when Toys”R”Us got a 5.38-MW solar roof, and again later in 2011 when a 9-MW solar roof was installed on a large Holt Logistics refrigerated warehouse, the Gloucester Marine Terminal. This solar rooftop just achieved its formal completion this week.

The solar rooftop project is called Riverside Renewable Energy, LLC. It cost $42 million, includes 27,526 photovoltaic rooftop solar panels, and covers 1.1 million square feet.

U.S. Rep. Robert Andrews (D-NJ) this week “presented Gloucester Marine Terminal officials with an award letter announcing an $11 million federal tax credit rebate” for the project, a news release stated.

“The Riverside project is an outstanding example of how we can create jobs that move us towards cleaner, more efficient and cost-saving energy that doesn’t come from overseas,” said Congressman Andrews.  “By partnering with the federal government, private industry is able to make strides that are good for job creation and the economy right now, and also for a cleaner, healthier and more energy efficient future here in South Jersey and the country.”

The project, construction of which started in June 2011, was completed on budget and ahead of schedule — not something you’re likely to read about some of solar power’s conventional competitors. And this despite the fact that it is located in a high-wind location on the Delaware River, is located on a federal EPA Superfund site, and required oversight from the Terminal by the Department of Homeland Security.

Riverside will generate the equivalent of up to 80 percent of the Terminal’s power demand. The system is expected to offset more than 8,100 tons of carbon dioxide, approximately the same amount that would be offset by planting 400,000 trees or removing 1,200 cars from the road.

Aside from Holt Logistics, SunPower, Rabobank, and PSE&G were involved in this record-breaking solar power project.

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Image: Riverside Renewable Energy Solar Array courtesy Holt Logistics


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Zachary Shahan

Zach is tryin' to help society help itself one word at a time. He spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as its director, chief editor, and CEO. Zach is recognized globally as an electric vehicle, solar energy, and energy storage expert. He has presented about cleantech at conferences in India, the UAE, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, Canada, and Curaçao. Zach has long-term investments in Tesla [TSLA], NIO [NIO], Xpeng [XPEV], Ford [F], ChargePoint [CHPT], Amazon [AMZN], Piedmont Lithium [PLL], Lithium Americas [LAC], Albemarle Corporation [ALB], Nouveau Monde Graphite [NMGRF], Talon Metals [TLOFF], Arclight Clean Transition Corp [ACTC], and Starbucks [SBUX]. But he does not offer (explicitly or implicitly) investment advice of any sort.

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