Solar Landscape has announced that for the first time, PSE&G customers may choose the source of their electricity supply through the state’s new community solar program.

Community solar allows residents to benefit from the solar energy generated by a large, local solar project. Customers’ electric bills go to support local, renewable energy, and they pay a discounted rate for the energy that their panels produce, according to information provided by the company.

Solar Landscape’s three Middlesex County community solar projects – two in Perth Amboy and one in Edison – will power more than 1,100 local homes. This new state program circumvents upfront installation costs while saving the customer money in real time and bringing the state closer to reaching its renewable energy goals, according to the statement.

The primary purpose of community solar is to bring environmental justice to communities by providing cleaner air and allowing people to go solar, even if they do not own property. This makes solar energy an option for everyone including renters, or those who live in shared buildings. Project participants benefit from the clean electricity generated by the community solar project, which costs less than the price they would ordinarily pay to their utility, according to the statement.

“We are thrilled to announce the opening of enrollment for subscribers in Middlesex County,” Shaun Keegan, founder and CEO of Solar Landscape, said in the statement. “Now residents can go online and access clean solar energy with no fees, no long-term contracts and no panels on their rooftops. Most importantly, under the guidance of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities [NJBPU], we are working with community partners to create a cleaner New Jersey.”

The NJBPU provides oversight of community solar projects and mandates certain contract terms to ensure that subscribers save 10-15% with the ability to cancel or unsubscribe without a fee at any time, according to the statement.

NJBPU recently announced it will approve enough community solar projects to power an additional 20,000 New Jersey homes in 2021.

For more information, visit gosolarlandscape.com.