71,400-Panel Solar Farm Planned for South Jersey. By Andrew Maykuth, PhillyInquirer, 10/20/10. “Developers will break ground in South Jersey on Wednesday on a $90 million solar-energy farm, one of the nation's largest photovoltaic projects and the latest sign of how renewable power is going mainstream. Con Edison Development and a subsidiary of Panda Energy International Inc., a power generator based in Dallas, will build the 20-megawatt solar farm in Pilesgrove Township, Salem County. The 71,400-panel solar facility, scheduled to take six months to build, will consume about 100 acres of agricultural land. It will feed the regional grid, so its power can be sold to customers throughout the area.
“‘It is a big deal,’ said Todd W. Carter, president of Panda Power Funds. ‘It will be the largest of its kind in the Northeast, and that's a big project.’ The market for solar energy is being stimulated by state mandates calling for an increasing volume of renewable power, such as wind, solar, and biomass. New Jersey and Pennsylvania are among 29 states that have adopted such standards, which force utilities to buy renewable power and pass the higher cost on to consumers.” Editor’s Note: As much as we are heartened to see projects such as this emerging, would it not be preferable to construct them over parking lots, highways and structures rather than consuming farmland, especially our more densely developed areas?
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