Clean, Renewable Energy to Serve the Needs of 24,000 Homes
Preserving Agricultural Use of the Underlying Land
SMART GROWTH:
✓ Tax Revenue without added traffic
✓ No burden on schools, no burden on services
✓ Construction and Long-term Local Jobs
✓ Compatible with Traditional Land Use
Watch the Recording of our LIVE ONLINE PUBLIC FORUM and read answers to your questions.
PROJECT OVERVIEW:
The proposed site for the Nichomus Run Solar Farm runs to the east and west of County Home Road, northwest of Route 45.
The Nichomus Run Solar Farm will generate a peak output of approximately 150 Megawatts of clean power. On an annual basis, the generation is equivalent to the demand from 24,000 NJ homes.
The project will be comprised of rows of solar panels that track east to west to follow the sun throughout the day. DC power generated by the panels will be collected and fed into inverters which transform the power into AC. In turn the inverters are fed into a central substation to be located adjacent to the existing transmission line.
The Nichomus Run Solar Farm will provide substantial local benefit to the community:
Estimated tax revenue from the facility is expected to be more than $900,000 annually or $29,000,000 over the expected 30-year project life. This revenue will flow to the involved tax jurisdictions, town, county, school district with little or no offsetting service burden.
Photovoltaic (PV) Energy generation provides a clean emission free energy that aligns well with peak energy demands in the state.
With zero fuel cost, PV provides stable long-term hedge against fluctuating fuel costs and channels revenue back to host communities through tax revenue.
Who is Dakota Power?
Led by energy industry veterans, Dakota Power Partners works closely with local communities, landowners, and utilities to develop large-scale clean energy.
Our projects produce low-cost clean energy, benefit host communities, and create 21st century American jobs.
The Dakota Power Partners team has more than 80 years of combined experience in the US power generation industry and have collectively participated in the development of more than 3,300 MW of operating and in-construction American wind and solar projects, representing an aggregate capital investment in rural communities in excess of $4.1 billion.
FAQs
Will the solar farm pay property taxes?
Based on the anticipated assessment and tax rates, the project will pay approximately $962,000 in property taxes per year. At the current taxation rates the total property tax payments over the 30-year life of the project is around $29,000,000. This represents more than a 60-fold increase in tax revenue collected from the involved properties.
Will the project seek a Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT) agreement?
No, the Nichomus Run Solar Farm will not be seeking a PILOT agreement.
Will the solar farm impact water quality?
Solar power generation is inherently friendly to the local environment. The solar farm will result in no point or non-point source water pollution. Also, solar installations are considered permeable surfaces allowing rain water to return to the watershed.
What will happen to the facility at the end of its operational life?
The facility components will be removed, and the site will be restored. To ensure decommissioning is performed and to protect against failure to decommission, a bonded decommissioning plan is typically a condition of approval. Such a plan would require that the facility owner to post and maintain a bond to cover the cost of decommissioning in the event of default. The cost of decommissioning is typically revisited by an independent engineer every 3 to 5 years to ensure sufficiency of the bond throughout the project life.
Will the solar farm involve the construction of new power lines?
A high voltage transmission line currently runs through the center of the The Nichomus Run project area and therefore no new transmission build is required. A substation will be required within the project area, adjacent to the existing transmission line.
How will this project effect traffic in the area?
During construction there will be some temporary increased traffic for material delivery and construction workers. Construction is expected to take between 9 and 12 months to complete. After construction there should be no appreciable impact to traffic – only 3-5 solar operations staff and a similar number involved with sheep operations.
What is the expected project life?
A minimum of 30 years.
What happens to the solar panels after the project is decommissioned?
The majority of the project components can be recycled.
How much energy will the project generate?
The project will generate more electricity than is consumed by 24,000 homes – more than all the homes in Salem County.
Will there be landscaping or planting to screen the view of the project?
Yes. Much of the project perimeter is buffered by existing tree lines. Other areas will be planted with approved vegetative buffer. View simulations of the project can be seen here.
Where will Dakota Power Partners sell the power?
The power will be sold into the PJM wholesale electricity market where all competitive retail electricity suppliers (also known as third-party suppliers) and utilities source their power to serve NJ energy consumers.
