May 2, 2003—BP announced April 22 that it has built and is operating the largest solar field on the East Coast in Paulsboro, New Jersey. The project is another step forward in the company’s efforts to facilitate productive reuse of a 130-acre former petroleum and specialty chemical storage and distribution facility located east of Philadelphia on the Delaware River.
The Paulsboro solar power field produces an estimated 350,000 kilowatt-hours a year in clean electricity, enough to power about 50 typical homes in the Northeast. The solar power is generated by an array of 5,880 panels and provides up to 30 percent of the energy needed for environmental remediation equipment at the former terminal. Use of this solar power system is estimated to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 571,000 lbs./year, sulfur dioxide by 1,600 lbs./year, and nitrogen oxide by 1,100 lbs./year.
“This project takes land that has served it purpose for heavy industry in the 20th Century and provides an adaptive reuse with 21st Century technology, making clean electricity without a smokestack,” said Paulsboro Mayor John Burzichelli, who also serves New Jersey as Assemblyman for the 3rd Legislative District.
The project is funded by BP with partial assistance from two programs geared toward environmental initiatives: the New Jersey Clean Energy Program that provides rebates up to 50 percent for New Jersey residents and corporations to install solar and other clean energy systems; and the Virginia Alliance for Solar Electricity (VASE), a program designed to foster solar projects in the Mid-Atlantic region. VASE is managed by the state of Virginia with funds from the US Department of Energy.
