Cty. warms up to solar energy Technology expected to cut building's power costs by 40% BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer The sun peeks through a solar panel grid as Middlesex County officials take a closer look at the county's first large-scale solar power project, which will reduce energy costs at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Services building at Davidson's Mill Pond Park in South Brunswick by 40 percent. SOUTH BRUNSWICK - The future of environmental technology just got a little brighter in Middlesex County. On Sept. 19, 120 solar panels were unveiled at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Services building, located at Davidson's Mill Pond Park, in the first large-scale effort to use solar energy to power a county building. The initiative is expected to reduce the building's electric costs by 40 to 50 percent. "I think we have an obligation in government to protect the environment for future generations," Freeholder H. James Polos said. "Sustainability is a necessity, not just something written about in a book or in a plan." The 25-kilowatt ground installation system has 12 racks on metal risers, each with 10 solar panels per rack, in an entire area of 960 square feet. The sun hits the collectors, which are angled toward the position of the sun in the sky, and takes in the heat, which travels down wires in the poles to an inverter box that converts the energy, according to Jeanne Fox, president of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU). An underground wire transports the energy into the 5,000-squarefoot building, which houses about 15 employees and three Rutgers research students. To fund the $340,000 program, the county received a $115,000 rebate from the Board of Public Utilities. The expected payback time is 10 to 12 years, according to Polos. In addition to the cost savings, the county will also receive an estimated $7,000 in energy credits each year under a program that was unveiled by the BPU two weeks ago: the county will earn one credit for every 1,000 kilowatt hours generated through the solar panels. New Jersey now requires electricity suppliers to buy these credits or pay a solar alternative compliance payment. William Hlubik, director of the Cooperative Extension, estimates the county will produce enough energy for 30.5 credits in just the first year. Aside from the monetary benefits, Fox said this particular initiative will avoid approximately 185 tons of carbon dioxide per year, which is the equivalent of taking 36 cars off New Jersey highways for a year. She said the importance lies in reducing dependence on foreign fuel sources, fossil fuels and the carbon footprint this country is leaving. She said New Jersey is only second to California in the amount of solar capacity available in the United States and that the state's future goals are ambitious: by 2020, 22 percent of energy will come from renewable resources, with 2 percent coming from solar alone. Fox also said the county will look into wind next as an energy source. "Everything we can do … is taking that amount of carbon dioxide out of the air, and we all should be proud of this," she said. The park site was chosen because of its existing capacity of environmental, agricultural, and nutritional awareness as well as the educational component it carries. Polos said that on the morning of the press conference, his own daughter Angela asked how he was going to collect the sun. She went to the window and looked out, seeming so amazed that the sun could actually power the refrigerator, toaster or television. He said that the concept seems so foreign to children, who instead need to be aware of how to help save the environment. "It's a perfect location to situate this solar farm to provide education to businesses … and schools as well," the freeholder said. "If we can get the youth of our county to understand renewable energy resources … I believe we have a chance to change the way we live, the way we think … and that certainly will have a significant impact on the future." "The design is not only productive and saving energy, but it is also educational," said Tom Fair, president of Fai-Gon Electric, the contractor that installed the system. "We want to be one of those contractors who does the right thing for the environment." Last year, Polos created the Middlesex County Showroom of Environmental Technology (MCSET), which is the first and only coordination of resources between state agencies and local officials in New Jersey. Since then, the county has included over 30 hybrid vehicles in its fleet and has incorporated biodiesel fuel in its heavy equipment fleet. Also, the county has been named the No. 1 recycling county in the state, according to the Department of Environmental Protection. Middlesex has also received a $75,000 Smart Future grant from the Department of Community Affairs to fund a 16-month project between the New Jersey Sustainable State Institute and Middlesex County. Polos applauded his fellow cohorts in Middlesex County for their "foresight and courage" in moving ahead as a model for the state and the nation.