Extra Space Storage, a self-storage real estate investment trust, will install solar panels on the rooftops of 21 of self-storage facilities in New Jersey.

The green initiative is part of a nationwide agreement with 1st Light Energy, a company that specializes in commercial and residential solar-energy systems.

On average, each facility will use a 50 kilowatt system. All together, the 21 sites will generate 1.2 million kilowatt hours annually. The solar panels will be installed on the facilities throughout the summer.

For a closer look at the installation of solar panels and how these systems can help self-storage operators save money, read this article from the ISS archives.

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Extra Space is a real estate investment trust that owns or operates 860 self-storage facilities in 34 states and Washington, D.C. The company's properties comprise approximately 550,000 units and more than 60 million square feet of rentable storage space.

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