CEP renewable energy sources has begun construction on its 19 MWdc grid Foul Rift solar project in White Township, Warren County, New Jersey. The project is being developed on a brownfield site that previously housed a composting facility for almost 30 years.
Before ceasing operations, the facility had a long history of receiving violations from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). CEP’s development of this project will complete environmental remediation at this site while providing reliable clean energy, pollinator habitat and increased tax revenue for the local community. This dual-sided fixed-tilt solar panel project is expected to be commercially operational in September 2024.
“This project is the perfect example of using the renewable energy subsidy to not only reduce the regional carbon footprint, but also to repair environmental damage that would otherwise have gone unaddressed,” said Chris Ichter, executive VP at CEP Renewables. “We are pleased to have leveraged our prior experience with similarly challenging landfill and brownfield solar projects to develop a successful public-private partnership with White Township that will positively impact generations to come.”
When CEP first encountered this property, it was contaminated as a result of the composting facility’s activities. An extensive environmental investigation found that the soil was contaminated with metals, including arsenic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, necessitating the use of institutional controls.
In total, the investigation identified 92 separate notices of environmental violations from NJDEP. To bring the site into compliance with NJDEP, CEP removed the remaining roadside compost and waste materials and worked with NJDEP to successfully resolve the remaining violations and terminate the solid waste permit.
As part of its partnership with White Township, CEP also agreed, in exchange for certain easement rights, to construct a porous pavement walking path that circulates through the Township’s recreational fields. This is an improvement that the municipality planned to build, but went unfulfilled for a long time due to lack of funding.
In addition to turning an environmentally hazardous site into a revenue-generating one, the Foul Rift Project also helps New Jersey strengthen its position as the number one US state for installed solar capacity per square kilometer. This project also further supports the state in achieving its objectives goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035 – the most ambitious clean energy goal in the country.
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