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Solar developer tells Hackensack council community solar can cut bills about 31%
Summary
A Solar Landscape representative told Mayor Gaines and the Hackensack City Council that New Jersey's community solar program can deliver a guaranteed average discount of about 31% on enrolled PSE&G bills, with 51% of project output reserved for low- and moderate-income households; the council asked about the 20-year guarantee and language access.
Dan, a representative of Solar Landscape, told Mayor Gaines and the Hackensack City Council on Tuesday that New Jersey's community solar program lets residents receive solar bill credits without installing panels on their property.
"It's called community solar," Dan said, describing a state-backed program that, he said, delivers an average 31% discount to participating customers in Bergen County and that those discounts are guaranteed for 20 years through lease agreements with commercial property owners.
The program, Dan said, was created by the Clean Energy Act of 2018 and has gathered momentum as solar projects were built and energized across the state. He told the council that the Department of Community Affairs and the Board of Public Utilities provide program oversight and that a recent administrative change to consolidated billing places community solar credits directly on customers' PSE&G bill.
Why it matters: Dan framed the outreach as a response to recent utility rate increases, saying the consolidated-billing change and utility-wide access mean Hackensack residents in PSE&G territory can enroll and start seeing credits on the same bill they already pay. "You stay with PSE&G," he said. "Everything appears right on their PSE&G bill. If they have a problem, something's not working, they have a question, PSE&G is the company that they call."
Program details Dan provided: he said projects currently being developed would power roughly 80,000 homes statewide and that Solar Landscape is building a large share of the early projects. He said state rules require that 51% of each community solar project's output be allocated to low- and moderate-income households. Enrollment, he said, takes about five minutes; residents self-attest low-income status (no credit checks); and households receiving Medicaid or LIHEAP automatically qualify as low-income for the program.
On the guarantee: Mayor Gaines asked whether the 20-year term refers to the discount percentage or the underlying lease. "Can you just... explain a little bit about the savings that are locked in for 20 years?" the mayor asked. Dan replied that the 20 years refers to the term of the lease agreement Solar Landscape signs with a commercial real-estate owner and that if the panels were removed the project would stop delivering credits to enrolled residents.
Accessibility and outreach: Council members asked about language access and online tools. Dan said the company creates a project-specific webpage with a Hackensack promo code, provides a language toggle (including Spanish) and bilingual or multilingual phone support, and distributes educational letters and materials to help municipal outreach.
Local experience: A resident identified as Allison confirmed she is enrolled. When asked whether the program was working for her, she replied, "Yes, I do." The presenter said participation was free to join and leave and that there are no enrollment fees.
No formal action was recorded in the transcript. Dan asked the mayor to consider sending an educational letter from the city to encourage enrollment; the transcript records thanks and the presentation closed without a council vote or directive in the recorded segment.
What's next: The presenter provided written materials and requested that the mayor circulate an educational letter; the council had no vote or formal direction recorded in the transcript excerpt.
