Shaun Keegan, CEO and Corey Gross, COO 2020 will be the most challenging year ever for Solar Landscape, a leading provider of solar PV systems specializing in large industrial, commercial, and community solar projects. The Asbury Park, New Jersey based company was the big winner in the first round of their home state’s three-year community solar pilot program. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities awarded the company more than 20 MW of solar project capacity to be built on 1.85 million square feet of commercial/industrial roof space. Solar Landscape’s community solar allocation represents more than 50% of the rooftop solar capacity awarded – and more than all other companies combined. “There was a lot of nuance with the community solar application process, and we feel very fortunate”, said Shaun Keegan, CEO of Solar Landscape. “Now we get to do what we do best - design and construct large rooftop solar PV projects.”

With Community solar, the power generated on the rooftop is delivered to the community, not the building itself. No longer restricted by a building’s energy consumption (the power goes to the grid not to the building) engineers have carte blanche to use the entire rooftop to design systems for maximum production. “We no longer have to match the solar PV system size with a facility’s usage, like we do with behind the meter projects, said Lucas Titolo, the company’s Director of Engineering. “Community solar allows us to incorporate large industrial – dry storage type warehouses and e-commerce sorting centers into the solar energy industry. It’s a game changer”. The property owner receives a lease payment for allowing the solar PV system’s sitting on their rooftop. The project produces electricity for local consumption and even when the building is vacant, the solar production and the property owner’s lease payment continue.

Commercial and industrial (C&I) rooftop solar has lagged the hyper growth of residential and utility scale projects. Community solar will result in the expansion of large-scale rooftop solar PV projects in New Jersey. Previously projects required building occupant/off takers to commit to buying power for fifteen to twenty years. The length of the commitment is often difficult for commercial property owners who may look to sell their business, their property, or both. Moreover, commercial real estate may be targeted for redevelopment, making long term commitments more challenging. Solar Landscape believes the near-term growth of community solar will be in the industrial warehouse space. “It didn’t make sense for many of these properties to go solar previously, because they did not have enough electricity usage”, said Keegan. “With community solar, the facility’s energy offset no longer factors into the analysis – and the industrial property owner simply receive a lease payment for their rooftop and announce their clean energy and sustainability achievements.”

Solar PV projects begin with a feasibility study to determine the solar PV energy generation potential on- site. Preliminary PV system design and technical due diligence on the site help the engineering team determine the system size and energy production estimates, while uncovering site-specific technical challenges that need to be considered. Engineers analyze the facilities to determine the available structural load capacity for the additional weight of a solar system. “Ten years ago, solar PV systems were much heavier,” said Lucas Titolo, Director of Engineering at Solar Landscape.