NJDOT partnership to produce electricity at two highway rest areas
Adopt-A-Watt program will generate clean energy with installation of new solar panel
(Trenton) - NJDOT Commissioner James Simpson today announced a public-private partnership with Adopt-A-Watt Inc. for an initiative that promotes sustainable energy production with solar panel installations.
Throuh the program, Adopt-A-Watt will build and maintain at no cost to NJDOT solar panels at two NJDOT rest areas – the Knowlton rest area on I-80 in Warren County and the Carney’s Point rest area on I-295 in Salem County.
“This partnership enables NJDOT to further the Christie Administration’s commitment to clean and more sustainable forms of energy,” Simpson said. “It creates private-sector business opportunities, generates new revenue, reduces energy costs and benefits the environment by reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.”
The vendor is expected to begin installation of solar panels on existing light poles or on new structures designed to securely support several solar panels later this year, after it has submitted site plans for NJDOT review and approval. The installation work includes any wiring that is needed to transmit the solar electricity to the electrical service panels.
“We’re thrilled to be working with NJDOT and to be helping the Department accomplish its clean energy goals,” said Adopt-A-Watt founder and CEO Thomas Wither. “Adopt-A-Watt was established in 2008 to help agencies transition to 21st-century energy and transportation.”
The amount of electricity generated by the installations will depend on the number of individual 175 Watt photo-voltaic panels or multi-panel solar arrays that will be erected at the rest areas. Each panel is expected to produce 200 kilowatt-hours of energy annually. NJDOT estimates that approximately a dozen existing light poles would be suitable for sponsored solar panels at each rest area, along with several solar arrays at each site.
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