Chatham To Hold A Virtual Talk, Answer Questions On Solar Panels

Chatham NJ

09 June, 2022

3:40 PM

Description

CHATHAM, NJ — The sun is shining, and there is plenty of free energy to go around. The Environmental Commissions of 12 neighboring towns, including Chatham are hosting a free virtual talk with Frank Curran of Green House Solar to help residents take advantage of summer's abundant solar power. The presentation "Is Solar Right For Your Home?" will take place on June 21st, at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. Curran, whose company is based in Madison, will provide an overview of local solar projects, which include shaded houses, tricky roofs and EV charging stations. He'll also look into financial incentives for buying and leasing solar and battery backup systems. Jessica Romeo, chair of the Chatham Environmental Commission and co-founder of the North Jersey Sustainable Municipal Alliance (NJSMA), which is sponsoring the discussion, said, "Our area is experiencing more frequent, more powerful storms and power outages are becoming a common occurrence in our municipalities. Installing solar paired with battery back sets residents up to be resilient to increasing outages due to these extreme weather occurrences." Based on the previous year's utility bills, solar energy systems can be sized to accommodate up to 100 percent of a homeowner's annual usage. During the day, the homeowner consumes energy directly; any excess is fed back into the local energy grid. At night, electricity is drawn from the grid to power lights and appliances. At the end of the year, homeowners receive a payment if they generate more energy than they use. "We are becoming increasingly more vulnerable as strong storms sweep across New Jersey," said Torri Van Wie, Chatham Borough Environmental Commission Chair and NJSMA Co-Chair. "Not only do we need to reduce our carbon footprint and do it now, but we also have to prepare ourselves for the outages that will become regular events. Having solar panels with a battery backup system provides the safety net in the face of destructive storms and grid blackout due to overload, while at the same time targeting the problem at its source: carbon emissions," Van Wie said. Registration for the virtual presentation is required at https://NJSMAsolar.eventbrite.com.