New Jersey: A New Land of Community Solar Opportunities

New Jersey: A New Land of Community Solar OpportunitiesJ

SJC and PowerMarket have partnered to offer JC Residents an opportunity to participate in one of four Community Solar Projects in North Jersey - SIGN UP NOW AND RECEIVE A $100 CASH GIFT CARD !

Submitted by Guest Blogger Amanda Colombo, Business Operations Analyst at PowerMarket

Hartz Mountain Industries, Inc (a commercial real estate enterprise) and PowerMarket (a community solar market leader) have partnered to bring some of the first community solar projects online right here in Northern New Jersey –three in Hudson county and one in Essex county. On top of that, there is an exciting partnership PowerMarket has formed with Sustainable JC, within Jersey City, to create awareness about community solar through educational outreach and to get people signed up! For the first time in NJ, everyone can participate in the clean energy revolution by joining community solar (and even lowering their monthly electricity bill).

What is community solar you might ask? Instead of installing solar panels on your roof, you take part in a larger solar array constructed in your community from which you and your neighbors all benefit from the clean energy that is generated. Because no roof or upfront costs are necessary to join, community solar provides a fair and just way for all community members to participate in the clean energy revolution. As you can see below, here is what a community solar farm can look like in your neighborhood:

Once subscribed, community solar credits (equivalent dollar cost savings) generated from your portion of the project would appear on your utility bill, i.e., a credit to your monthly utility bill. To benefit less served communities, we have committed to providing over 50% of savings to low income households. As a New Jersey resident, you can imagine how excited I am for NJ to be one of the leaders in the nation to roll out a Community Solar program!

Given the global pandemic, all outreach campaigns to join these projects in New Jersey will be done virtually. Thanks to our online marketplace, it is easy for potential subscribers to enter their utility and billing information as well as sign a participation agreement digitally. These four Hartz Mountain projects will be operational between September and December of this year, and we are starting to sign up interested subscribers now. This is an opportunity for communities to support clean renewable energy and see cost savings each month.

The first four projects PowerMarket has going online are in Jersey City, North Bergen, Newark, and Secaucus. The sign up is live here!  Overall, we are looking for 1,300 total subscribers to fill the projects- with 51% of subscribers being Low to Moderate income subscribers (LMI). There are no fees to enter, no fees to leave, 15% savings off credits for LMI, and 10% savings for non-LMI and of course guaranteed savings each and every month.

Want to learn more about community solar? We’ve provided some frequently asked questions below. However, if you have a question that we haven’t answered, please feel free to contact the PowerMarket team at 800-253-4333 or adrian.varga@powermarket.io.

1. Who can participate in community solar?

In New Jersey, currently, anyone who pays a utility bill can participate in community solar. To participate in these 4 projects, you have to reside in Newark, Jersey City, North Bergen, Secaucus, or a neighboring municipality- but don’t worry, we’ll let you know if you qualify when you go to sign up!

2. How does billing work?

You would get your bill from PSE&G just as you have been and pay it like you normally would.  The total gross amount of community solar credit shown on your utility bill will be adjusted through a two bill system, reflecting a net credit and savings for you on your monthly utility payments, i.e., you will be invoiced by PowerMarket for the difference in the total gross community solar credit on your utility bill and the discounted community solar credit amount based on your standing as a Non-LMI or LMI subscriber - 10% off for Non-LMI Subscribers and 15% off for LMI Subscribers.

As you can see in the example below, $115.57 was taken off this LMI subscriber’s electricity bill for the gross amount of community solar credits they earned that month, showing $138.73 total monthly charge from the utility company, which the utility customer will pay. This lowered their bill significantly, more than the allowable total billing credit afforded under this program (10% off for Non-LMI Subscribers and 15% off for LMI Subscribers) .  To adjust that to reflect the proper net credit to the LMI Subscriber,  they will receive a notification and invoice from PowerMarket showing the difference between the gross credit and the discount amount applied to the gross credit (10% off for Non-LMI Subscribers and 15% off for LMI Subscribers) to provide the proper net savings gain for them.

This example was at a 15% discount for a LMI Subscriber, so they will only pay PowerMarket $98.23 for this $115.57 worth of community solar credits, which is the difference between the gross amount of community solar credits shown on your bill and the legal discount amount afforded under the program. In the end, they will save $17.34 this month for being part of their local community solar project.

3. How do I get started?

You can get started HERE!  PowerMarket is now offering a $100 cash gift card when you sign up from start to finish! You enter your utility information, billing, and sign a contract. There is no cost to join and no cost to leave the program. After approval from the utility, we allocate you a percentage of the project, and you’re subscribed! You’ll enjoy the benefits of saving every month plus supporting clean energy onto the local grid. Are you ready NJ?!

More information on Partner Organizations:

About Sustainable Jersey City:

Sustainable Jersey City is a catalyst organization whose mission is to educate, empower and activate community stakeholders, to make Jersey City NJ a more sustainable and resilient place to live and work. Our vision is for Jersey City to become the greenest, most sustainable and resilient city in New Jersey, with community stakeholders that are educated about and committed to environmental, economic and social justice. As part of the balanced urban ecology we are advocating for in Jersey City, we try to include the arts in our projects and activities as much as possible! We feel that artists can help us to evolve some of our sustainability strategies through a unique lens and welcome their participation at all of our events. After all, sustainability is a cultural conversation and artist activists often pave the way when society needs to change direction - that time is now!

SJC Charter: https://www.sustainablejc.org/sjccharter

About PowerMarket:

PowerMarket works to make clean energy more accessible, affordable, and ubiquitous through community solar. We are a recognized market leader in providing subscriber acquisition, management & billing services to the community solar industry. Based in New York City, we manage over 200 MW and 20,000 subscribers—ensuring they are seeing utility bill credits, savings and the environmental impact of their participation. In 2019 alone, we put over $300,000 back in the pockets of our community solar subscribers. We are an advocate for our subscribers and have rolled out many programs across the Northeast with Low to Moderate Income (LMI) carve outs to ensure benefits are equally distributed their communities. We are extremely excited about our New Jersey projects, as we will give the majority of subscriptions and benefits to Low to Moderate income families.

Company Website: https://powermarket.io

About Hartz Mountain Industries, Inc:

Hartz Solar is a subsidiary of Hartz Mountain Industries, Inc. Hartz Mountain Industries, Inc is one of the largest private owners of commercial real estate in the U.S. They have grown from a small start in 1966 to a large regional real estate enterprise. They own and operate a portfolio of more than 260 properties primarily in major East Coast markets, including New York, New Jersey, Atlanta, Charlotte and Maryland. They also own and operate assets in Chicago, Austin and Seattle. In total, their portfolio comprises more than 45 million square feet of residential, office, hotel and industrial properties. They are staffed to build complex developments, quickly and economically with in-house architectural, construction, design, engineering, legal, marketing, leasing, property management and financial teams. Hartz Solar isn’t new to the solar industry considering an 8.5-megawatt ground-based solar array built in Hamilton, which began producing power at its Hartz Solar Hamilton facility in 2011.

NJ Community Solar Brochure from NJ Clean Energy Office

The Future of Work After COVID-19

Opportunity For Sustainable JC Folks To Consider Job Market Trends With First Of Short Series On Future Of Work And Acquiring New Tech Skills As We Transition In The Age Of COVID !

Submitted by Artur Meyster, Guest Blogger / Founder of Career Karma

COVID-19 changed our world four months ago after the WHO (World Health Organization) declared it a pandemic. Governments started implementing quarantine measures to control its spread, but these measures left many companies floundering to keep their operations afloat. A vaccine isn’t a reality yet, and many people believe we will not get back to normal until an effective one is developed.  

However, after months of social distancing and staying at home, some countries are already relaxing some of the regulations in an effort to salvage the economy. And companies are redesigning the workplace to fit a world with COVID-19. 

Below are some of the changes we will see in the new work environment.

Distributed Spaces

In the past few years, it was common to find offices that had as many people possible comfortably working in the same space. This distribution of areas was designed to foster collaboration and communication. But after COVID-19, this will be left in the past and instead, we will start seeing distributed spaces. 

Distributed spaces will be smaller offices in locations closer to the employee’s home. With these smaller, distributed offices, workers will not only have less risk of infection while commuting, but the whole team won’t need to be quarantined if one of them gets infected. So the team will be able to collaborate, but in smaller groups. 

Rotating Workdays

Another option to minimize contact in the workplace is to rotate working days in the office. First, managers will pinpoint which employees need to come back to the office and are able to do so. Then create a schedule for which people can go to the office each day and which persons need to work together on the same day, and so on would be the way to go. 

This rotating work schedule may sound unnecessary and a lot of work if employees can work from home, but many companies don’t have that luxury. Some businesses need their employees physically at the office for essential tasks, but rethinking this may create options not thought of before that could save time and money, and provide other workaround benefits for businesses and workers. 

Hospital-Like Elements

After COVID-19, people are now more aware of sanitation and possible infectious points more than ever, e.g., many questions have arisen as simple as whether to touch a surface or a door when going out in the past few months, and are now applicable to workplace settings.  

Many people may not know this, but hospitals use unique materials on walls, floors and furniture that can withstand strong cleaning products. Companies will start designing office spaces using hospital-like elements and materials so they can be continuously sterilized. 

Not only will the cleaning increase, but business environments will probably also include disinfection strategies. These strategies will likely include wash stations for cleaning hands, constant use of antibacterial solutions and even air purification systems. 

IoT Office Space

The Internet of Things (IoT) is about both smart devices that can be connected between themselves and with the Internet to access data and to control transactions. There are already many of these devices used in day-to-day home activities. For example, smart TVs that allow you to control the lights in your house or mobile apps that can connect to your smart fridge. 

We will be seeing something similar at our workplaces, for example being able to control different things using smartphones like workers calling the elevator, opening doors or making coffee and more at business premises.. With these smart solutions, employees could avoid contact with contaminated surfaces. 

Home Office

Since COVID-19 became a pandemic, many companies have changed to home office modalities. It was in an effort to maintain the business while reducing the possibility of infection. But now, with some of the quarantined measures being lifted, many companies aren’t rushing back to the office. 

The fact is, home offices have many potential cost-effective benefits and perks, depending on the employee. The first and topmost consideration is that it could be less costly for the company to help an employee set up a home office than redesigning current business or office workspaces. But other benefits include the potential for more productive and happy workers too!

However, not all employees are best suited for working from home. But your company could choose to implement a hybrid solution with some people working remotely and others working at the office or other business location. It reduces possible environmental issues regarding spreading infections and allows working comfortably from home for employees that prefer that option. 

Daily Health Checks

Daily health checks are another potential change for post-pandemic work environments. In some countries, people already get their temperature checked before being allowed to enter any public establishments. It will be something similar for the workplace, things like temperature cameras that check all the employees for fever could be implemented. 

These health checks will also include sending the employee home if they show slight symptoms of sickness and workplaces having more flexible sick leave policies all around. 

Emphasis on Health Education

In many companies, health education was an afterthought unless it was related to direct security hazards at the workplace. But now, with the pandemic, employees, especially the ones returning to physical workplaces and offices, need to be aware of all possible health risks of the COVID-19 disease. 

By knowing precisely what the risks are, they can accept those risks to return to work or not. Also, it’s the company’s prerogative to teach it’s employees of the preventive measures they have to take and the correct way to work in the new environments. So, constant health education to remind them to protect themselves will become standard. 

Use of Protective Gear

The use of protective gear will also become standard and not only at the workplace. This measure doesn’t mean complete body gear, maybe just in specific industries that required it. But most people will have to start using at least mouth caps / face masks to protect themselves and their coworkers. 

Increase e-Learning

Many companies offer career development benefits for their workers, and they don’t need to stop due to the pandemic. Instead, they can go for e-learning sources. Many online education platforms offer courses for anything, from soft to tech skills. Even coding boot camps have online learning options for people that want to learn programming skills. 

#sustainable #jerseycity @sustainablejc #futurework #newtechskills @CareerKarmaApp @Career_Karma

SALT Foundation Partners With City of Jersey City For Mobile Food Pantries

Roadside Food Pantries in JC Feed The Hungry While Curbing Food Waste - August Dates Coming Up !

Submitted by Marc Adelberg, Sustainable JC Board Member

Humans have utilized salt to extend the life of food for millennia.

So when Claudia Wheeler was debating names for her nonprofit, which distributes would-be wasted groceries to families in need, it was a surprisingly easy choice.

“From way back, salt has been a way to preserve food,” Wheeler told Sustainable JC.  “That’s what SALT (Foundation) does.  I’m here to preserve not only food, but families and communities and individuals as well.”

An idea inspired by a food drive at her Franklin Township church has germinated into a weekly event, with distributions throughout Hudson, Mercer, and Middlesex Counties.

For three years, Wheeler’s SALT Foundation has been picking up expiring food from local Trader Joe’s and Wegmans supermarkets and delivering it to those in need.  In any given week, the organization brings fresh products to food pantries, women’s and homeless shelters, and churches. 

Wheeler, a Navy veteran and schoolteacher, is plenty resourceful; she completes most food pick-ups and drop-offs by herself, with occasional operational support from her husband, David.  But with COVID-19 highlighting the need to give back, Wheeler has received help from friends and additional contributions from volunteers.  SALT soon began to distribute healthy produce, bread, and other food with even more frequency. 

In late March, with the pandemic raging and ravaging livelihoods, the foundation held its first outdoor “Community Love” food pantry in Franklin Township, satisfying CDC guidelines for social distancing.  After a dozen “pop-up drive-thru” food pantries in Somerset, handing out hundreds of bags of food each time, SALT expanded to alleviate food insecurity in Northeast New Jersey. 

Hudson County proved an important destination for Wheeler.

“I reached out to a councilwoman in Jersey City and I said ‘I’m Jersey City-raised and my heart is there. I’d love to bring this to Jersey City,’” Wheeler said. 

(SALT Foundation began partnering with Five Corners restaurant Freetown Road Project on “Community Love” gatherings in January, so Wheeler was familiar with service in the City.  Her brother, Claude Lewis, opened Freetown Road Project in 2019 – a few months after winning an episode of “Chopped” on Food Network.  Lewis was formerly executive chef at Porta downtown.)

Late in the spring, Jersey City Councilwoman Mira Prinz-Arey facilitated a connection between SALT Foundation and Healthier JC.  It didn’t take long to secure the first pop-up pantry, which occurred on Route 440 on June 7.  And with lines of cars stretching back onto Route 9 that day, it was evident SALT Foundation was filling a need.

SALT and Healthier JC have been teaming up every other Sunday since.  The organizations plan to continue that pattern through at least the end of August, with the next pop-ups occurring August 16 and August 30 - location is at 575 Route 440.

“As a partner of #HealthierJC, we salute the efforts of the SALT Foundation as we expand our efforts in providing healthy food access to people in need during the COVID-19 crisis,” said Stacey Flanagan, Director of Health and Human Services for Jersey City.  “Claudia and her team have been amazing partners as they feed nearly 200 families every mobile pantry day.”

Wheeler is heartened by the large number of people SALT Foundation is servicing with its distributions – individuals from all walks of life.

“You could be driving a BMW.  I don’t know what’s going on in your home.  We’re all going through this together,” Wheeler stated.  “I don’t require any type of identification,” she added.  “Just the smile through your eyes – through the mask, because we’re being safe – that’s all that I need.”

The duty to teach drives Wheeler, whether endowing her young students with knowledge or stressing the benefits of giving back through community service.  (Among her favorite passages from the bible?  Galatians 5:13 – “Serve one another in love.”) 

 “Food is what unites cultures and communities,” Wheeler avowed.  “I want SALT to act as the hinge that keeps us together especially during these challenging times.”

@HealthierJC @sustainable @jerseycity @sustainablejc #HealthierJC #foodrescue @StaceyLFlanaga1 @KelleherMKJC @SaltNJ

Thank You All - Fundraising Campaign Success for The Sharing Place Food Pantry !

Fundraising Campaign Success for The Sharing Place Food Pantry !

Submitted by Marc Adelberg, SJC Core Team Member

Dear Donors and Community Partners,

Sustainable Jersey City (SJC) is thrilled to announce that we have raised $5,448 for The Sharing Place food pantry via the ioby crowdfunding platform, reaching and exceeding our goal of $5,000.  We could not have done so without your assistance. (Campaign site here.)  

This influx of money means that the food pantry can alleviate expanded food insecurity during the COVID-19 crisis.  In a time of true need for so many, your generous donations and community support have ensured that The Sharing Place can continue to stand by its creed: to not turn anyone away.  The funds will allow The Sharing Place to procure healthy food— in April, 195 families received a total of 14,000 pounds of food, including fresh meat and produce—for the next three months of distributions.

We at SJC were overwhelmed by the immediate response to our call to action.  It is certainly fulfilling to contribute to a vital cause; it is even more so in this unprecedented situation.  We are grateful for your selfless acts of support.  Helping us accomplish our goal guarantees that The Sharing Place can fulfill its mission, even during the pandemic: lifting the burden of hunger for Jersey City and Hudson County residents. 

Thank You Note From The Sharing Place ~

Sincerely,

Marc Adelberg

Core Team Member

Sustainable Jersey City

Crowdsourced Data Mapping Tool Reveals Elevated Flu-Like Symptoms Across US Geographies, Public Participation Can Help Track The Spread Of COVID-19

Kinsa Smart Thermometer Device Records Anonymous Fever Data In Real Time, Download The Free App - Jersey City, NJ

Submitted by Debra Italiano, Founder & Chair Sustainable JC

The award winning, US public health tech company Kinsa Health has been around for awhile, providing about a million households (2 million consumers) with useful feedback about their health symptoms, through a smart thermometer device.  The device can be used standalone or with a connected free app you can download which provides feedback   

In partnership with Oregon State University, Kinsa Health now publishes a US Health Weather Map which provides a visualization of seasonal illness associated with influenza symptoms, typified by increased fever symptoms. The map has been ahead of the CDC in projecting flu rates each season for years and is used by public health officials to prepare each season.

The data visualized on the Kinsa Health Weather US map shown is the product of the size of the network of Kinsa’s Smart Thermometers and the connected mobile applications.

In these times of COVID-19, given that heightened fever is a primary symptom, this tracks to potential for the virus and is serving as an AN EARLY WARNING SYSTEM for public health officials, municipal decisionmakers and first responders seeking information about where the COVID-19 virus might be spreading based on real time reported public health data. 

While widespread testing in the US is still not available for COVID-19 and must be managed judiciously due to supply issues, this complementary data tool can activate quick response measures and act as a very worthwhile surveillance reporting device that people fighting to contain the spread of COVID-19 desperately need. Dr. Peter J. Hotez, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said: “If this tells you where there are new major clusters of fever, it tells you where to swoop in with your test kits.”

As anticipation of opening up the economy prompts planning about the need for an extensive infrastructure of testing, containment and surveillance measures, and given this will be quite the feat to accomplish, (time, money, complexity), this very low cost form of public health surveillance (anonymous) can be deployed quickly and easily and can save lives.  Here is how the Kinsa FLUency program is operating in a Michigan school district   Parents active in the JC school district please suggest that we use the device and app to the JC School Board ! 

The data visualized on the Kinsa Health Weather US map shown is the product of the size of the network of Kinsa’s Smart Thermometers and the connected mobile applications.  The map has been ahead of the CDC in projecting flu rates each season for years and is used by public health officials to prepare each season. The grayed areas on the map, mostly rural areas, are obviously not connected in the aggregated database yet.  As more crowdsourced data comes into the database, the map will change in real time and the projections for each zip code will change. 

Kinsa Health is careful to state that the data they are providing is COMPLIMENTARY, but clearly this very important elevated fever data is quite valuable to note for public health officials and is being used in NYC right now.  For example, the NYTs story broke last month when Kinsa offered what they noticed as a Brooklyn spike in fever readings after winter flu season had begun to downturn.  The unusual readings were used as an alert that something unusual was happening, put the health department on notice, enabling them to mobilize an informed effort to contain a possible infectious cluster from spreading.

SJC is a fan of crowdsourced data programs and have spearheaded a couple of Citizen Science projects where the public was able to jump in and to create a data repository that becomes a helpful decision making tool for good things to happen.  The Kinsa Smart Thermometer is a brilliant example of how we can all assist with crowdsourcing data that will be helpful to officials trying to stay ahead of the curve of this deadly disease. Other countries are now on a regimen of taking their temperature twice daily, it may be time for US citizens to begin to do the same.

The cost is $35.99 on the Kinsa website and they have a BUY 1 DONATE 1 Kinsa Health Commitment program, which gets more thermometers distributed to under-resourced schools, improving their ability to track and contain the pandemic.  Quick video about using the app here.