Solar Landscape, a provider of solar panels and related services, received an award for its installation on 10 New Jersey facilities operated by self-storage real estate investment trust Extra Space Storage. The 2022 “Community Solar Project of the Year” recognition came from “Solar Builder,” a bi-monthly magazine that provides news and resources to solar-power suppliers and contractors, according to the source.

The 6.5-megawatt Extra Space solar portfolio spans 800,000 square feet and will power more than 1,400 nearby homes, more than half of which are low- to moderate-income households. The project was approved by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities in year two of the state’s Community Solar Energy Pilot Program.

“We’re proud to continue to lead the self-storage sector in sustainability, and this community solar project is a great addition to our solar efforts,” said McKall Morris, communications and sustainability manager for Extra Space. “Community solar enables [us] to do good for the environment and for the community in the areas we serve, so we appreciate being recognized by ‘Solar Builder’ as Community Solar Project of the Year.”

“Together with Extra Space, the Solar Landscape team is bringing thousands more people into the fight against climate change through community solar,” said Shaun Keegan, CEO of Solar Landscape. “New Jersey is a national leader in community solar, and this recognition reinforces that other states can replicate a program design that lowers energy costs for all residents and quickly brings projects online. No one should be prevented from accessing affordable solar energy for reasons like cost or lack of roof control. Community solar is the answer to those equity barriers.”

“Solar Builder” Editor Chris Crowell praised the project. “Generating solar energy on self-storage rooftops to benefit a nearby community is a great idea hiding in plain sight. But turning no-brainer ideas into actual projects takes a lot of brains, the right vision and mission between a solar company and a corporate entity and, crucially, a well-crafted policy that encourages this creativity to benefit the community,” he said. “So, kudos to Solar Landscape, Extra Space Storage and the state of New Jersey for seeing this opportunity and getting it done.”

Based in Asbury Park, New Jersey, Solar Landscape is a full-service solar-power company. It develops, designs and installs solar solutions for the commercial, industrial, municipal, nonprofit and public-school sectors. It has more than 200 megawatts completed or under construction.

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Extra Space owns or operates 2,327 self-storage properties in 41 states and Washington, D.C. The company’s properties comprise approximately 1.6 million units and 175.1 million square feet of rentable space.

Source: ROI-NJ.com, Solar Landscape Partners With National Self-Storage Leader to Win Honor for 2nd Year in a Row