Project provides savings to low-to-moderate income residents and $2 million in revenue to Township
RED BANK, N.J., November 20, 2023 - CEP Renewables and Luminace announced that they have achieved commercial operation of the 10 MW (DC) BEMS community solar landfill project, located on the Big Hill Landfill in Southampton, New Jersey, which is part of the state’s Community Solar Energy Pilot Program. The project is the first-of-its-kind in the state due to having two 5 MW solar systems atop a landfill, and which span across two utility territories. This fixed tilt project utilizes ballasted solar racking technology from Terrasmart as well as bifacial solar panels. In addition to converting a previously limited use site into a solar power plant, the project has enabled the Township to recoup approximately $2 million in back taxes and interest. The majority of the several thousand households powered by this project are low-to-moderate income (LMI). CEP Renewables developed the project and contracted CS Energy to perform the role as EPC contractor throughout the construction phase. Luminace, a Brookfield Renewable company, is the long-term owner and operator of the project.
“We are pleased to have converted yet another previously limited use site into a source of revenue as well as more affordable, clean energy for local communities,” said Chris Ichter, Executive Vice President at CEP Renewables. “The BEMS project builds upon the success of our redevelopment project in Mount Olive, New Jersey, the largest solar landfill project in North America, through the use of a similar process with this project.”
Similar to CEP Renewables’ Mount Olive project, the BEMS project real property was also purchased through the redevelopment and tax lien foreclosure process, which was completely unique prior to the Mount Olive project. Long abandoned by its former owner, the Big Hill landfill site accrued millions of dollars in tax liens. CEP addressed this issue by brokering a public-private partnership with the Township that involved CEP acquiring the tax liens from the Township, paying back all past-due taxes, and foreclosing on the landfill property. CEP is now the owner of this site, and the Township has been able to recoup roughly 40 years of interest and back taxes.
“We’re grateful to have been selected by CEP, one of the nation’s top leaders in landfill and brownfield solar redevelopment, to provide our expertise on this impactful project,” said Thomas Watt, Civil Preconstruction Manager at CS Energy. “We were able to leverage our experience designing and constructing over 200 MW of landfill solar projects to address the complexities of this project and complete it safely, on time, and on budget.”
“Luminace is pleased to work with CEP Renewables, CS Energy, the Southampton Township and the local community on this most recent Community Solar project in New Jersey,” said Brendon Quinlivan, Chief Executive Officer of Luminace. “This project continues to expand our New Jersey solar footprint that we’ve built over the last decade and contributes to our growth strategy across the U.S. to expand the decarbonization-as-a-service solutions available to our valued customers and communities that we serve.”
In addition to turning a closed waste disposal site into a revenue generating asset, the BEMS project also contributes to New Jersey maintaining its ranking as the number one U.S. state for both installed solar capacity per square mile as well as for the most planned community solar capacity serving LMI households. This project also adds to CEP’s over 100 MW of solar projects developed in the state and further supports the state in achieving its goal of 100 percent clean electricity by 2035 - the most ambitious clean energy goal in the country.
About CEP Renewables:
CEP Renewables designs, develops, and builds grid-connected, utility-scale solar projects. With global expertise developing projects in Europe, Asia, and North America, the company has turned its attention to New Jersey and supporting the Governor's ambitious Energy Master Plan (requiring 100% utilization of clean energy by 2050). CEP utilizes its highly-skilled professional team to implement complex remediation, engineering, and permitting strategies that allow it to bring particularly challenging projects from conception to energization. For more information visit https://www.ceprenewables.com/.
CEP Renewables, LLC Media Contact:
Lisa DeMarco
lisa@twentytwoandbrand.com
310-990-1925
About Luminace:
Luminace is a leading fully integrated decarbonization-as-a-service provider in North America, sponsoring accessible, reliable, and renewable energy infrastructure to empower the zero-emissions future. Luminace has an operational and development portfolio of more than 5,000 megawatts of distributed energy resources, serving hundreds of customers in the educational, commercial, industrial, utility, and municipal sectors across the U.S. and Canada. Luminace offers a full suite of decarbonization solutions including solar, energy storage, EV solutions and energy efficiency upgrades, all at no upfront cost.
About CS Energy:
CS Energy is an industry-leading engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) renewable energy firm that designs and builds optimized projects in solar, energy storage, and emerging energy industries. CS Energy has successfully designed and installed over 1.5 GW of solar and 470 MWh of energy storage projects across the United States. Owned by American Securities, a leading US private equity firm, CS Energy leverages strong relationships with solar developers, IPPs, utilities, off-takers, suppliers, and landowners to help our customers streamline the project development process, lower project costs, and create value for all stakeholders as a trusted and long-term partner.