NJR Clean Energy Ventures and New Jersey American Water Highlight Innovative Solutions With North America’s Largest Floating Solar Array

From air conditioning to vacuum cleaners, New Jersey has long been known for its innovations, and now it is home to the largest floating solar array in North America. Consisting of 16,510 solar panels, the 8.9-megawatt (MW) solar array covers 17 acres of the Canoe Brook reservoir in Short Hills, New Jersey. The clean power generated is enough to power 1,400 homes annually and will provide approximately 95% of the power needs for New Jersey American Water’s Canoe Brook Water Treatment Plant.

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The Canoe Brook floating solar array is turning underutilized space into a source of clean energy. (Photo: Business Wire)

Owned and operated by NJR Clean Energy Ventures (CEV), the renewable energy subsidiary of New Jersey Resources (NYSE: NJR), the array uses an innovative racking system that enables the panels to float on water. Projects like this offer a novel approach to developing solar and a practical solution to the challenge of finding suitable locations to accommodate large scale commercial solar installations. Built mostly on man-made lakes or reservoirs, where tides and saltwater will not impact the panels, floating solar projects turn beneficial use space into clean energy. Innovative approaches to clean energy, like Canoe Brook, are increasingly important in densely populated areas, such as New Jersey.

“Floating solar technology creates new opportunities for underutilized bodies of water, allowing space that would otherwise sit vacant to enable large-scale renewable energy generation, which helps to bring the benefits of clean energy to even more customers,” said Robert Pohlman, Vice President of NJR Clean Energy Ventures. “As a leader in New Jersey’s solar marketplace, we look forward to working with New Jersey American Water to support its power needs and advance the state’s clean energy and climate goals.”

“As the state’s largest water and wastewater utility company, it is essential for us to be good stewards of the environment by operating efficiently and in a manner that helps protect our natural resources,” said Mark McDonough, president of New Jersey American Water. “This initiative provides a meaningful reduction of traditional energy use that benefits the environment, as well as our customers through limited capital expense and reduced power costs.”