A former contaminated industrial site in New Jersey has been remediated and redeveloped as a 17 MW solar farm.

The fixed-tilt solar array was constructed in two phases on a site that previously housed a paper mill complex in Holland.

The project was originally developed by CEP Renewables and acquired by NJR Clean Energy Ventures (CEV). CS Energy provided engineering, procurement, and construction work for the project.

CEV, one of the largest solar owner/operators in New Jersey, acquired the Holland project from CEP Renewables in 2021, and now owns 63 commercial solar projects throughout New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, with a portfolio of more than 430 MW of installed capacity.       

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In the 1990s, the former paper mill site was abandoned and fell into disrepair. CEP Renewables was sought out by the property owner, a company that decommissions former industrial sites, to redevelop the land.

Prior to CEP Renewables assuming control of the site, the area was remediated, deed restricted and covered with an engineering control. CEP’s team enhanced the existing engineering controls to be compatible with the solar redevelopment. 

CEP Renewables and CS Energy also overcame several challenges, including the permitting and construction of a second phase of the project overlapping with the first. Additionally, the project had to be built around a historic farmhouse and powerhouse located on a portion of the property.