Governor Corzine Announces U.S. Department of Energy Release of $29.3 Million in ARRA Funds

Corzine also highlights creation of nearly 300 green energy jobs to be funded

KEARNY - Governor Jon S. Corzine today announced U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) approval of New Jersey's State Energy Plan (SEP) for funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), highlighting the seven projects to be funded with a visit to a landfill in the Township of Kearny. 

Governor Corzine visited the landfill, which is under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC), where a solar installation is expected to create 80 jobs during its construction, save $389,000 annually from displacing fossil fuel generation and help avoid 4,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year. 

The visit came as the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) gave final approval of New Jersey's State Energy Program (SEP) to support energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. With SEP approval, DOE will release more than $29.4 million in funding for SEP projects within the state. Under the SEP, New Jersey proposed a statewide plan that prioritizes energy savings, creates or retains jobs, increases the use of renewable energy, and reduces carbon pollution.

"These projects will quickly create new jobs for our people, provide a foundation for future economic growth and expand our renewable energy and energy efficiency work," said Governor Jon S. Corzine. "They will also save money, reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and improve the quality of our environment." 

The governor added, "The aggressive policies within my administration's Energy Master Plan set the tone and provide a clear direction for energy funding priorities in New Jersey under ARRA." 

New Jersey's Energy Master Plan is the state's roadmap guide toward a responsible energy future with secure, reliable energy supplies that are both environmentally responsible and competitively priced. It is estimated that 20,000 jobs will be created as a result of the Master Plan between now and 2020. These jobs will consist of operations and maintenance jobs, and construction jobs directly related to the State's energy infrastructure. 

The project at the landfill location will utilize photovoltaic crystalline technology with non-penetrating foundations with a thin film photovoltaic membrane to generate 5,570,000 kwh of electricity annually. It is not far from another approved project in Kearny, the New Jersey Transit's (NJT) Solar PV Project in which solar panels will be installed on the roof of NJT's maintenance facility and will generate 1.1MW of electricity.                                                         

The approved projects were selected after a competitive application process. 

More than 238 jobs in New Jersey are expected to be created or saved by the implementation of the seven projects alone. 

The seven approved project are:

New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) - Landfill Solar Project- $8,500,000.00;

New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) - Residence Hall Energy Efficiency/Renewable Energy Upgrade Project - $1,675,084.00;

William Paterson University (WPU) - Smart Buildings/Energy Management System Project -$1,120,000.00;

Richard Stockton College (Stockton) - Solar Thermal/Solar PV and Demand Side Management Project -$3,464,599.00;

Rutgers Office of Research & Sponsored Programs (RORSP) - Eco Complex - Gas Biler Retrofit Project -$63,100.00;

New Jersey Transit (NJT) - Solar PV Kearny Project -$4,320,217.00.

Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority - Wind Turbine Generator - $1,500,000

 ###

 

Get our press releases via RSS at: feed://nj.gov/governor/news/news/2009/approved/rss.xml 

Photos from Governor Corzine's public events are available at www.nj.gov/governor/news 

Video from the Governor's Office is available at www.nj.gov/governor/news/video and www.youtube.com/user/jonscorzine