Approaching the end of an innovative solar field construction project, Middlesex County Utilities Authority (MCUA) needed a closeout evaluation of their solar arrays. The four arrays range in nominal capacity from 249 to 2,306 kilowatts and, when combined, are the second-largest municipal solar generation system in New Jersey at a total of 4.6 MWdc.

RETTEW reviewed documentation and drawings for the solar arrays and identified potential enhancements or cost-saving measures that MCUA could use in future projects. Our on-site evaluation included examining systems to ensure a complete and working installation. Using independent, nationally recognized protocols for carbon offsets, emissions, and greenhouse gas reductions, RETTEW summarized the environmental benefits from the construction and operation into a concise and useful assessment. Altogether, this municipal solar power facility will avoid 1,260 tons of smog, 2,020 tons of acid rain, and 302,500 tons of global warming pollution over a 30-year life. In that same timespan, it will conserve 555,000 barrels of oil (or 160,000 tons of coal or 35 billion cubic feet of natural gas). Achieving these system goals will directly and positively impact more than 800,000 residents and businesses in central New Jersey.