(Credit: Pixabay)
The largest solar project in the state of New Jersey is now complete. A 28.5 MW ground-mount project located at Naval Weapons Station Earle (NWS Earle) in Tinton Falls is now supplying renewable energy to the naval station and regional users.
CS Energy installed 4,000 solar panels each day at the height of construction. Currently, the second phase of the project is underway. CS Energy will also install a separate behind the meter solar system that will connect directly to the NWS Earle utility grid, providing the Department of the Navy (DON) with renewable energy to support operations.
As part of the Navy’s energy resiliency initiative, the Ben Moreell Solar Farm on NWS Earle was established. Owned by Vitol Green Holdings LLC, the solar project will be tied directly to the local utility grid. In case of emergency, and with further investment, the clean power plant can be modified to power the base, which has a combined workforce of more than 1,500 civilian, military, and contractor personnel.
According to Capt. Pierre A. Fuller, Commanding Officer, NWS Earle: “Having access to reliable, sustainable and renewable sources of energy, like solar power, helps our Navy improve our energy security, operational capability, strategic flexibility and resource availabilities.
The Ben Morrell project contributes to New Jersey’s 2020 Energy Master Plan. This initiative aims to garner 100% of its energy from renewable, carbon-neutral sources by 2050. The Energy Master Plan is the first of a series of steps to ensure that the state generates and manages its energy supply in a way that is consistent with economic, climate, and societal demands.