16,000 Floating Solar Panels To Be Installed In Millburn Reservoir

MILLBURN, NJ — If you're traveling through Millburn and suddenly see scores of solar panels floating in a reservoir, here's why: A New Jersey energy company has begun placing what will be a total of 16,510 solar panels to help power a water treatment plant.

When completed this fall, the 8.9-megawatt solar installation will be the largest floating solar array in the country.

The panels will provide 95 percent of the power used annually for the New Jersey American Water Canoe Brook Water Treatment Plant.

NJR Clean Energy Ventures, the renewable energy subsidiary of New Jersey Resources, completed a "power purchase agreement" with the plant's owners to provide the installation.

Canoe Brook will be CEV's second floating solar project. The first was a 4.4 MW array placed in Sayreville in 2020.

The Canoe Brook plant and its Short Hills Operations Center are located on JFK Parkway.

“As the state’s largest water and wastewater utility company, it is essential for us to be good stewards of the environment by operating efficiently and in a manner that helps protect our natural resources,” said Mark McDonough, president of New Jersey American Water. “This initiative provides a meaningful reduction of traditional energy use that benefits the environment."

When there isn't enough land available to stack panels, placing solar panels in water can be a creative solution.

“Floating solar technology creates new opportunities for bodies of water to be a home for
large-scale renewable energy generation and bring the benefits of clean energy to even more customers,” said Steve Westhoven, president and CEO of New Jersey Resources.

CEV says their panels produce enough clean energy to power over 58,000 homes annually.

New Jersey American Water, a subsidiary of American Water, is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing water and wastewater services to approximately 2.8 million people. Visit www.newjerseyamwater.com for more information.