EDISON, NJ-Solar power, aptly, is coming to Edison, NJ as Avidan Management proceeds with the installation of a 4.26-megawatt installation on the roof of its office/warehouse facility at 145 Talmadge Rd. It will be one of the largest arrays in the country.
When complete, likely in the spring, the $20-million array will supply approximately 45% of the facility’s one million kilowatt hours of energy monthly, says Avi Avidan, managing member of Avidan Energy Solutions, an affiliate of the Elizabeth, NJ-based real estate company.
With monthly energy bills running over $120,000, the savings will add up quickly. “We consume a tremendous amount of electricity because of the tenants,” at the 650,000-square-foot building, Avidan tells GlobeSt.com. The 50-acre facility houses multiple office and warehouse tenants, including Arthur Schuman and NJ Frozen Storage Services. The new array will help reduce these tenants’ and others’ expenses.
The installation is AES’ first, and the company performed due diligence for 18 months to research the process and find the right vendors, ultimately choosing Solar World photovoltaic panels and SMA America inverters. Both companies are based in the United States, unusual in an industry dominated by Chinese manufacturers. “We made an effort to make sure we’re using an American product,” Avidan says.
The process required replacing the roof of the 30-year-old building to support the additional weight. Construction began in September and proceeded smoothly until the storms of late December and January put a halt to work, four weeks shy of completion. Installation will begin again when weather permits, probably in March.
Investors Savings Bank of Short Hills, NJ is financing $18.7 million of the cost, and AES will qualify for a 30% federal grant when the installation is complete. But Avidan acknowledges that he’s also invested personal money into the construction. He expects payback in about seven years through savings, sale of power back to tenants and solar renewal energy certificates.
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