[The Vector] Rising from the Industrial Past

Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G), the largest gas and electric utility in New Jersey, is converting an oil coal-gas manufacturing facility in Trenton into a 1.3 MW solar farm. It will provide enough energy to power about 207 residences.

This is the kind of story we see popping up around the U.S. and can be part of the green energy movement to create jobs, make old manufacturing sites useful again, and create clean power for homes and businesses.

New Jersey has become focused on green energy plans. The state committed last year to a half-billion dollar program to install 80 MW of solar power, which will nearly double its current solar capacity.  Called “Solar 4 All”, the plan includes solar panel installation on utility poles in the six largest cities and 300 towns, and 20 projects around the state. The manufacturing facility conversion in Trenton is part of the investment. To date, PSE&G has already installed more than 40,000 solar panels on its utility poles and it plans to put up 160,000 by the end of 2013.

The Trenton site is one of four solar farms underway, and it is a former brownfield (contaminated) site. It is one of the oldest coal-gas facilities in the U.S., and burned coal at very high temperatures, which produced toxic coal tar. Some of that tar was dumped on the site and PSE&G has spent $20 million cleaning it up. “We are giving new life to a once-contaminated site. By reclaiming it, we are helping to improve the neighborhood and provide New Jersey’s capital city with a productive and beneficial asset,” said Al Matos, VP of renewable and energy solutions for PSE&G.

This is a win-win situation:  1) clean up old contaminated sites, 2) create a long-term sustainable energy site that provides power as well as local jobs.

Partnering with local school system, too 

In addition, PSE&G has partnered with the Newark School System to create a green curriculum, to start in the 2011-2012 school year. The program is designed to provide students with an education and understanding of the new technologies within renewable energy, which in turn may give them an edge to compete for the emerging green industry and economy.  The utility has already partnered with local community colleges to offer an A.A. degree.

The course will begin for 9^th graders, and will continue through 12^th. The district will try to find summer employment opportunities for the students, too.

“This partnership is aligned with our district’s Strategic Plan, which emphasizes employability for our students upon graduation, as well as advancement toward higher education in the field of sustainability,” said District Superintendent Clifford Janey in a press release. “Clear the green job market has great potential…”