To be sure, Monday’s announcement that Solar Landscape plans to hire more than 100 new employees in 2024 was meant for political gain to show support for State Sen. Vin Gopal, a strong solar supporter, 24 hours before Election Day.
What shouldn’t be lost is this: Solar Landscape, the nation’s leading community solar provider to lower-income households, is doubling its operations next year – with a goal of building 100 megawatts of commercial rooftop solar and serving 20,000 new community solar subscribers, over half of which will be lower-income households.
Solar Landscape, based in Asbury Park, already has grown three-fold over the last two years, hiring 80 people since January 2021 and moving into newly built 8,000-square foot office space in the spring of 2023, CEO and co-founder Shaun Keegan said.
“Growing solar nationally means creating new jobs in New Jersey,” he said. “We look forward to welcoming even more Solar Landscape employees next year as commercial rooftop and community solar continue to build momentum.”
As of this week, Solar Landscape has energized 50 community solar projects totaling over 60 MW that will serve nearly 10,000 households, more than half of which will qualify as low- or moderate-income. The nation-leading renewable energy portfolio will save residents over $2,000,000 per year off their home energy bills.
Many of the company’s successes have created direct benefits for the surrounding community. Earlier this week, Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. joined Solar Landscape to activate a new project in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey. Last year, Solar Landscape finished a 1.3-megawatt (DC) pro bono project for the Asbury Park School District, supplying more than half of the schools’ power needs and saving the school district more than $120,000 annually.
The spread of commercial rooftop community solar nationally has also contributed Solar Landscape’s growing employee base. Earlier this year, it announced a multi-state partnership with self-storage leader Public Storage to serve more than 10,000 households in Illinois, Maryland and New Jersey.
About those jobs
The Solar Landscape expansion will see the creation of over 100 new positions spanning all functions, including engineering, business development, finance, legal, community engagement, and project management. For more information, click here.
Gopal said these are just some of the reasons he has been so supportive of the company.
“It is encouraging to watch a Monmouth County business grow from a small operation founded by Monmouth County locals to a national leader in clean energy,” he said. “Solar Landscape’s rise to prominence is a great example of how our area can drive economic growth that creates jobs and leads the nation. I’m proud to have worked with their leadership and will continue to support their success.”
Solar Landscape also announced that it has become the nation’s leading provider of community solar to lower-income households, according to non-profit Groundswell, a program funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.
