Asbury Park-based Solar Landscape was awarded Solar Builder’s 2022 “Community Solar Project of the Year” for a project with Extra Space Storage, according to an announcement from the Salt Lake City-based self-storage company.
The project was approved by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities in Year 2 of the state’s Community Solar Energy Pilot Program. More than half of the power it generates will power low- to moderate-income households near the self-storage sites throughout the state.
“We’re proud to continue to lead the self-storage sector in sustainability, and this community solar project is a great addition to our solar efforts,” McKall Morris, communications and sustainability manager for Extra Space Storage, said. “Community solar enables Extra Space to do good for the environment and for the community in the areas we serve, so we appreciate being recognized by Solar Builder as Community Solar Project of the Year.”
“What stood out to me about Solar Landscape’s Extra Space Storage project is how much of a no-brainer it is,” said Chris Crowell, editor of Solar Builder. “Generating solar energy on self-storage rooftops to benefit a nearby community is a great idea hiding in plain sight — but turning no-brainer ideas into actual projects takes a lot of brains, the right vision and mission between a solar company and a corporate entity and, crucially, a well-crafted policy that encourages this creativity to benefit the community. So, kudos to Solar Landscape, Extra Space Storage and the state of New Jersey for seeing this opportunity and getting it done.”
“Together with Extra Space, the Solar Landscape team is bringing thousands more people into the fight against climate change through community solar,” said Shaun Keegan, CEO of Solar Landscape. “New Jersey is a national leader in community solar, and this recognition reinforces that other states can replicate a program design that lowers energy costs for all residents and quickly brings projects online. No one should be prevented from accessing affordable solar energy for reasons like cost or lack of roof control. Community solar is the answer to those equity barriers.”
Extra Space Storage’s in-state 6.5-megawatt community solar portfolio spans 800,000 square feet of rooftop and will power over 1,400 nearby homes. The winning portfolio includes 10 of the national self-storage leader’s sites throughout New Jersey that are hosting community solar projects with Solar Landscape.
