Fair Lawn officials outline community solar program, warn residents about online scams
Loading...
Summary
Mayor Cattrone described a state-backed community solar subscription program, urged residents to use only the link or phone number on the mailed letter, and announced a public information session at Borough Hall on Oct. 28.
Mayor Cattrone told the Fair Lawn Borough Council on Oct. 21 that the borough is promoting a state-authorized community solar program that lets residents subscribe to off-site solar projects without installing panels at home.
The mayor said the program is part of a statewide initiative overseen by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and that subscribers receive credits through their PSE&G utility account; she advised residents that the program does not require social security numbers, credit-card information or bank-account details. “If you are anywhere that is asking for a credit card, you are in the wrong place and you should click out of that website,” she said.
Why it matters: Community solar can broaden access to renewable energy for renters and homeowners who cannot or do not want rooftop panels. The mayor said Fair Lawn residents already enrolled should begin to see small bill savings in 2026 and urged residents to protect themselves from imitation websites.
Details and next steps: The borough will host a public information session on Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. at Borough Hall. Mayor Cattrone said representatives from Solar Landscape and members of the borough’s Green Team will be available to answer questions. She instructed residents who want to enroll to use only the website link or phone number printed on the letter mailed by the borough; two residents told the mayor they had searched online after misplacing the letter and encountered a lookalike site that requested payment information.
The mayor also directed residents to verify program details on PSE&G’s website or the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and to the state government’s community solar pages. She said the program was created in 2018, piloted for two years and limits community-solar installations to commercial properties and certain capped sites such as landfills, with participating utilities passing savings to customers.
Public-information and consumer-protection context: The mayor emphasized the voluntary nature of the subscription and asked residents with questions to call the phone number on the borough letter or attend the Oct. 28 session. She also reminded residents that the borough will not sell personal financial information as part of enrollment; the program requests only a subscriber’s name, address and PSE&G account number.
What the borough did at the meeting: This was an informational announcement; no vote or ordinance related to the program was taken at the Oct. 21 meeting.
