Gloucester County Scores State's First Solar-Powered Traffic Signal

It took just a flick of a switch and the rays from the sun.

Gloucester County officially flipped on the first solar-powered traffic signal–a full red-yellow-green signal outside the Target on Woodbury-Glassboro Road in Mantua–Wednesday, becoming the first county in the state go with a solar-powered signal.

“We are proud to be a leader in using solar power to save our taxpayers money. We plan to do a lot more of it,” Freeholder Director Robert Damminger said.

Towns in New Jersey pay the electricity costs for traffic signals, whether they’re on local, county, state or federal roads, and moving to a solar power will save Mantua between $450 and $550 per year on just this one signal.

A federal grant from the Department of Energy is funding the switchover, which includes 34 flashing signals, and installation should be complete by the end of this year.

The signals remain hooked into the electrical grid, and send power back to the grid during the day. Each of the six solar panels at the Mantua signal has a maximum power output of 170 watts.

This is an efficient and environmentally friendly way to power our traffic signals and be energy neutral,” Damminger said.

The additional of solar means Mantua–as well as other towns who get the solar-powered signals–could see big cuts in electricity costs. Five signals in Mantua will save the township $10,000 over five years.

“$50 a month might not sound like a big savings, but when you start to add up the traffic signals and flashing signals, the savings begins to add up,” said Mantua Mayor Tim Chell.