MANAHAWKIN, NJ-New Jersey’s largest proposed solar project has been approved by the State House Commission, allowing construction to begin on a 6.5-megawatt solar farm on a portion of the capped Stafford Park landfill.
Construction on the Stafford Park Solar Farm is expected to begin by year-end, and is scheduled to be completed 18 months later. The plan calls for the installation of 24,624 solar panels in 1,026 arrays on 30 acres of the capped landfill. When completed in phases, it will generate 6.5 megawatts of power.
“It’s been a very time-consuming and arduous process,” says Joseph A. DelDuca, general counsel and partner of the Walters Group, the developer of Stafford Park, which is located on 370 acres at the Garden State Parkway and Route 72. “We’re very happy it’s done.”
The solar farm is one element in a mixed-use complex that also includes retail and residential space, all designed with conservation and clean energy in mind. All retail buildings have achieved a minimum of LEED-Silver certification, with Stafford Park Apartments achieving LEED Gold status, the first affordable housing complex in the state to do so. The retail buildings owned by the developer also have rooftop solar panels.
Construction on Stafford Park began in December 2006, and the next year the developers decided to explore the possibility of a solar park on part of 55 acres that would not be used for retail or residential uses.
“New Jersey is a favorable climate for solar development because of subsidies,” DelDuca explains. However, the approvals process was complicated because the site had been classified as green acres space, necessitating multiple town meetings and additional approvals. Other agencies, including the New Jersey Pinelands Commission, the Stafford Township Planning Board and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, had already approved the development.
With the last approval in place, the Walters Group can finalize financing and begin construction on the first phase of the park, likely to provide 2.88 megawatts of power to some of the retail stores and residential units.
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