Half Of New Brunswick's Energy Now Comes From Solar Power

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — The city of New Brunswick has agreed to a renewable energy aggregation program, which is says will result in 50 percent of the city's electrical energy coming from renewable sources.

On May 7, Direct Energy Services won a bid to provide third-party energy to New Brunswick at a rate of .11386 cents per kilowatt hour for a 17-month contract.

Most of the energy will come in the form of solar power, from solar fields and panels located right here in New Jersey, a city spokeswoman said. The remaining energy will come from wind, geothermal, renewable natural gas, anaerobic digestion, fuel cells and small hydroelectric facilities, she said.

This 50 percent is the highest percentage of renewable energy use by any community in the state of New Jersey. The city of New Brunswick has an ambitious goal of using 100 percent renewable energy by the year 2035.

The city says this will actually result in cheaper electric bills for New Brunswick residents.

“We are very pleased to be able to offer this new plan to our residents,” said New Brunswick Mayor Jim Cahill. “This plan lowers electrical costs for each enrolled resident, while placing us five years ahead of schedule to increase our community’s renewable energy use to 50 percent."

Enrollment in this program is automatic for all New Brunswick city residents, unless they opt out or have already contracted with a third-party energy supplier.

Through this arrangement, residents will continue to receive power bills from PSE&G, but they will see a designation on their bill indicating the sourcing of their energy from Direct Energy. Residents should also see cost savings on each bill, the city says.

No additional fees will be charged to residents to enroll; its happens automatically for all city residents.

Last week, all New Brunswick residents were sent a letter from Mayor Cahill containing information about the program. A second letter will be mailed in mid-May with more information about energy rates and next steps. The letter will also contain information for any residents who may wish to opt out of the program.

A public information session regarding the program will be held from 6:30-8 p.m. on Thursday, June 6 in Council Chambers of City Hall, 78 Bayard Street. For more information on the renewableNB program, please visit www.renewablenb.com.