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Cranford officials outline community solar project, urge quick sign-ups
Summary
Commissioner Andrews described a community solar program that will place panels on the CubeSmart roof this fall, offering an estimated 31% credit to participating households and an opt-in, first-come-first-served enrollment process.
Cranford officials announced a community solar project that will put large solar arrays on the CubeSmart facility on South Avenue and make credits available to township households starting this fall.
The program “is a 31% solar credit discount,” Commissioner Andrews said, adding that the estimate depends on household usage and weather and that participants "will never pay more than if they'd stayed strictly with PSE&G." He said the program is opt-in and first come, first served.
Why it matters: Township leaders framed the project as a partial response to an expected 17–18% PSE&G rate increase and as a way to expand access to solar for residents who cannot place panels on their own roofs. Andrews said the state program requires that a majority of beneficiaries be low- and moderate-income households.
Details and mechanics: Andrews said private companies lease large commercial roofs to host the panels; the electricity produced is exported to the grid and credited to participating households’ bills through PSE&G. He emphasized that PSE&G remains the household's utility for outages and service, and that the bill will combine charges and solar credits on a single invoice.
Enrollment and scope: Officials said 22 Cranford households already receive community-solar credits from projects in Linden and Perth Amboy, and the CubeSmart array will add local capacity. A township mailing will explain how to opt in; officials urged residents to act quickly because enrollment is first-come, first-served for the project’s slots.
What officials did and did not decide: The committee described the program and said a mayoral letter will be sent; there was no committee vote recorded on enrollment or municipal procurement tied to the project during the meeting.
Next steps: The township will distribute information to residents on how to enroll. Andrews said more projects in neighboring towns are coming online, which may expand capacity for Cranford households.
