NJR Clean Energy Ventures and CEP Renewables Celebrate the Completion of 18.9 MW Foul Rift Solar Project

After a local composting facility ceased operations and the nearly 56-acre property was designated as environmentally impaired, the site seemed destined to become wasted space. Thanks to the vision of CEP Renewables LLC and NJR Clean Energy Ventures (CEV), two leaders in the state’s solar marketplace, it was given new life as an 18.9 megawatts (MW) solar field and an important part of New Jersey’s clean energy future. 

Developed by CEP and owned and operated by CEV, the renewable energy subsidiary of New Jersey Resources (NYSE: NJR), the Foul Rift solar array was constructed using innovative bifacial solar panels. Bifacial modules are designed to maximize the amount of energy produced by providing more surface area for the sun’s rays. The clean energy produced will help meet the electric demand of 3,390 households and reduce more than17,000 metric tons of carbon emissions annually.

Since 2010, CEV has invested over $1.2 billion in solar projects. As one of the largest solar owner/operators in New Jersey, today it maintains a portfolio of more than 70 commercial solar assets with approximately 477 MW of installed capacity, or enough clean energy to power more than 72,000 homes annually.  

Robert Pohlman, vice president of NJR Clean Energy Ventures, Congressman Tom Kean Jr., Gary Cicero, chief executive officer of CEP Renewables and State Senator Doug Steinhardt celebrate the completion of the Foul Rift solar field in Warren County, NJ. Photo Courtesy of NJR Clean Energy Ventures

“NJR Clean Energy Ventures has been investing in New Jersey solar since 2010 and became a leader in the space with projects like Foul Rift,” said Robert Pohlman, Vice President of NJR Clean Energy Ventures. “Repurposing brownfields and other underutilized spaces to produce renewable energy is beneficial for a land constrained state like New Jersey, and we look forward to continuing to advance this strategy.”

When CEP began developing the Foul Rift solar project, it first had to remediate the environmental impacts from the composting facility’s nearly 30 years of activities. Once resolved, CEP negotiated an administrative consent order with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Projection to bring the site into compliance. CEP formed a public-private partnership with White Township that involved acquiring the tax liens from the township, paying all past-due taxes and foreclosing on the property. CEP now owns the site, and the township has been able to recoup roughly three decades of interest and back taxes. 

“We were able to draw upon our prior experience on similarly challenging brownfield and landfill solar projects to develop an effective partnership with White Township that will benefit generations to come,” said Chris Ichter, Executive Vice President at CEP Renewables.

In addition to turning an environmentally impaired brownfield into a new source of renewable energy and a revenue generating asset, the Foul Rift array supports New Jersey’s goal of achieving 100% clean energy by 2050 and its ranking as the number one state in the U.S. for installed solar capacity per square mile. 

The project was built using union labor by CS Energy, a leading renewable energy company with expertise in designing and constructing solar, storage and emerging energy projects.  

NJR Clean Energy Ventures | www.njresources.com