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How NJ Residents Can Choose Cleaner Energy

Driving through many areas of New Jersey, particularly South Jersey, it’s hard not to notice ubiquitous solar panels on many rooftops.  “We have seen an explosion of solar energy growth by our residential and non-residential customers,” said Karen Lefkowitz, vice president, Utility of the Future.

Across the state, more and more people are choosing solar power because it allows them to sustainably generate their own energy in a clean and safe way.  In the last five years alone, the number of our customers with solar power has increased by more than 500% – from 2,955 to more than 20,000.

Many people may ask why an electric company has an entire strategy on helping its customers go solar. “The fast growing interest in solar power led us to re-think how we educate customers on solar benefits and the process for connecting to the grid,” said Karen.

We realized that in order to fulfill our vision of being a forward-thinking utility that meets our customers’ needs, we needed to come up with an improved strategy and solutions to make going solar faster and easier.

Our solar strategy has already helped thousands of its customers.  One of those customers is South Jersey resident Harry Hurley, who hosts a regular morning radio program. Learning about the benefits of going solar was what made him decide to install solar panels on the roof of his own home.

“One day I had a conversation with my wife and I said ‘you know I talk about this every week – what are we waiting for?’ I came to the conclusion that it was economically smart and good for the environment.  I’ve always been impressed with the way Atlantic City Electric steps up to be a good partner,” he said.

Harry Hurley

In order to meet the needs of its customers, we have taken steps to make it as quick and easy as possible for customers to install solar, including:

  • An online resource center providing customers information needed to make the decision to go solar;
  • An online interconnection application portal, improving accuracy and speed of the net energy metering interconnection application process;
  • Green Power Connection™, a dedicated team and process for helping customers go solar; and
  • WattPlan®, our online tool that allows customers to quickly and easily estimate how much solar energy can be generated on personal property, and how much can be saved each year on electric bills.

We offer a variety of ways for people to find out more about solar. A ‘Solar 101’ webinar for customers was held on Thursday, June 29 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. The webinar allowed those interested in solar to ask questions directly to the Green Power Connection™ experts and find out more about the process and benefits of solar power. By providing more tools and information on the benefits and ease of getting solar energy, we can help even more customers in New Jersey take the leap and go solar.

Want to find out why more people are going solar? Hear directly from Harry Hurley here.