The Tri-State Area’s Top Solar Installers
In an effort to offset the substantial electric usage of medical equipment, a health facility in Atlantic City, NJ decided to build a solar-powered carport for their employees and visitors. This project would also make sustainable use of otherwise unusable brownfields surrounding the facility.
Despite the unique challenges of building the system on a seaside brownfield, TerraSol helped to successfully complete the project and significantly offset the building’s electric usage.
A brownfield is any once-developed land or property for which expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the potential presence of hazardous substances or contaminants.
All too often, when land is classified as brownfield, it sits unused and wasted — a liability on both sides of the balance sheet. For the tenants of 1801 Atlantic Ave., that land was right outside their front door. And TerraSol saw exactly what it could become.
TerraSol was tasked with the full scope of engineering, procurement, project management, and commissioning of this sizable installation — from electrical and structural design to construction oversight, quality checks, and safety management across the entire location.
The project was completed in early 2019 as a three-way partnership between TerraSol, JJ White Construction, and SunPower.
Building a solar carport in Atlantic City is not like building one anywhere else. The location is just a few blocks from the beach — meaning every structural element had to be engineered to withstand hurricane-force winds, heavy rain, and the corrosive effects of year-round salt air.
Working with sandy, wet coastal soil types added significant complexity to the foundation work. Significant engineering was required to ensure the carport structures could house the electrical systems safely and bear both wind and snow loads to the highest safety standards.
Because this was a brownfield site, anything removed from the ground had to be handled carefully. Disposal of excavated materials required responsible environmental protocols, and any water extracted during foundation work had to be properly treated before disposal.
On top of that, all outdoor electrical equipment was in an area freely accessible to public employees and visitors — meaning the construction team needed to be knowledgeable and adept with this type of electrical installation to keep the place safe at all times.
TerraSol found the perfect partner in JJ White Incorporated — a company with deep experience working along the eastern shoreline, fully versed in Atlantic City’s electrical safety codes and coastal soil conditions. The state of New Jersey has its own unique regulatory requirements, and JJ White knew them inside and out. They handled all electrical work and installation of all solar panels and inverters, bringing the expertise and durability-focused approach this process demanded.
To keep daily operations running smoothly for the business and its tenants, construction was deliberately divided into two phases — a smart mix of planning and execution that ensured only half the parking lot was closed at any one time. Cars and vehicles belonging to the facility’s 200+ employees and visitors always had somewhere to park. The business never shut down. Not for a single day. It’s important to remember that for a medical facility, any disruption to daily operations isn’t just an inconvenience — it’s a patient care issue. TerraSol and JJ White managed this process with that responsibility front of mind.
The completed system features 396 solar panels on the rooftop and 660 solar panels in the rear parking lot — 1,056 panels in total across a 471kW system. The size of this installation makes it one of the largest commercial solar projects TerraSol has delivered to date.
It now generates 587,500 kWh of clean electricity annually, efficiently offsetting one-third of the facility’s total electricity usage and eliminating 637 tons of CO2 per year.
New Jersey’s state solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) provide an additional revenue stream for the client — meaning the system doesn’t just deliver savings on electricity costs, it actively generates income.
For any business evaluating solar in NJ, this is one of the most compelling financial angles available. When you utilize available state incentive programs alongside the federal tax credit, the path to ROI becomes significantly shorter.
The shelter the carport provides to vehicles and cars is a genuine daily benefit — protecting employees and visitors from heavy rain, summer heat, and coastal weather every time they park. The environment beneath the canopy stays cooler. The cars and vehicles underneath are protected from the elements on both sides of any weather front. And the clean energy generated above helps efficiently power the entire facility.
Past projects like this one have shown that transforming idle land into a productive solar installation takes less time than most business owners expect. All of this was done in roughly two months.
Without ever shutting down the business, without ever leaving vehicles without shelter, and without leaving any corner of the place less safe for the public. TerraSol and JJ White created one of the most technically complex and rewarding commercial solar projects in the region — and they did it on time, on budget, and without disruption.
Explore what a project like this could mean for your company. Pick up the phone and talk to our team. The savings are real, the environmental benefits are measurable, and the solution is far more affordable than most business owners expect.
See what our customers say about TerraSol
TerraSol Energies, Inc. develops and manages turnkey solar solutions that provide renewable energy means for homeowners, business owners, and non-profits.
Copyright © 2022 All Rights Reserved
