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Consultant presents New Providence draft Community Energy Plan, highlights solar potential and EV charging needs
Summary
A consultant told the New Providence Borough Council the draft Community Energy Plan recommends 33 initiatives aligned with New Jersey's Pathway to 2050, cites survey results favoring solar and lists funding sources such as BPU and DEP grants; the plan will be revised with council feedback before adoption.
Lindsay Macia, a consultant with Haier Grueland Associates, presented New Providence’s draft Community Energy Plan to the borough council, saying the report aligns local strategies with New Jersey’s statewide Pathway to 2050 energy master plan and identifies 33 initiatives for reducing emissions and increasing clean energy access.
"We received 97 responses to our community survey," Macia said, noting that 62% of respondents rated increasing renewable energy use such as solar as the borough’s top priority. Macia also said the plan’s analysis found about 57% of borough properties are viable for rooftop solar and that the number of electric vehicles in town has risen from five in 2015 to about 617 in 2025.
The plan, produced with a Board of Public Utilities (BPU) grant and informed by Sustainable Jersey resources, arranges actions under state‑level strategy areas including transportation, buildings and distributed energy deployment. Macia highlighted initiative 1.6 — installing public EV charging infrastructure — as a near‑term priority because of the recent growth in local EV ownership and available DEP and BPU funding programs.
Macia said the DEP’s ‘‘It Pays to Plug In’’ program and BPU incentives can fund public Level 2 chargers and municipal fleet electrification, but noted eligibility is typically limited to municipalities and nonprofit organizations rather than individual residents. "Those grants are often for public locations — train stations or shopping centers — and non‑profits or local governments are eligible to apply," she said.
Councilmembers pressed for practical next steps: a concise, prioritized appendix listing all 33 initiatives, suggested lead departments, and estimated timing so the council could tie action items to capital and operating budgets. Macia agreed to add a priority‑ordered list of initiatives and lead departments as an appendix to the plan.
Tracy Woods of Sustainable Jersey spoke during public comment and offered ongoing support to help the borough identify and apply for grant opportunities tied to plan priorities.
The council did not adopt the plan at the meeting; Macia said the draft will be revised to incorporate council feedback and would remain a living document recommended for review at least every 10 years and reapplication to Sustainable Jersey every three years. Next procedural steps include circulating the prioritized appendix and scheduling the plan for adoption at a future council meeting.
