Earlier this week the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved a number of solar energy projects throughout the state. 

Among them was Deptford Landfill Solar Project  – a 64-acre, formerly contaminated Brownfield site in Gloucester County that’s being converted into a solar farm by cousins Jeff and Andrew Herskowitz of Cherry Hill.

When completed, the site will appear as a large field of solar panels with several small electrical equipment areas that connect the project to the grid operated by PSE&G.

On Wednesday, March 4, the project was approved for an additional 10 MegaWatts of solar capacity, boosting its total to 15 MegaWatts, which the cousins needed to move forward.

Herskowitz gave a sigh of both relief and exasperation. After all, the project has gone through local land use hearings, environmental coordination with the state, and utility studies over the last several years. Herskowitz and his cousin started the process in 2019.

“[Wednesday’s] decision by the Board allows our project to move forward at the full capacity we requested, which means more renewable power delivered to New Jersey’s grid,” Herskowitz said within an hour after the BPU’s announcement. He spoke for both he and Andrew on the project’s travails. “We appreciate the Board’s support and the work that went into this approval.

“At the same time, I believe there is an opportunity for the State to continue streamlining the process so projects like this can move forward more efficiently in the future.“

Herskowitz said newly-sworn in New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s commitment to expanding solar energy was admirable, and that her initiatives to streamline the permitting process were desperately needed if New Jersey is to move to the next level.

Sherrill’s Solar Push

At her inauguration in Newark at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center on Jan. 20, Sherrill signed a pair of Executive Orders addressing what she described as “an electricity affordability crisis” in New Jersey.

Executive Order #1 declared a State of Emergency on utility costs and directed the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) – which regulates the state’s electric and gas utilities and sets many of the rules that govern how energy projects connect to the grid – to freeze rate hikes and deliver residential bill credits by July 1, 2026.

Executive Order #2 directed the NJBPU to rapidly expand in-state solar and battery storage, streamline permitting, address load growth from data centers, and launch a Nuclear Power Task Force.

On Feb. 4 the NJBPU issued a Request for Information to the state’s four electric distribution companies, directing them to submit 30-day plans for accelerating grid modernization and distributed energy resource interconnection.

On Wednesday, in addition to greenlighting capacity for a number of solar projects, the NJBPU approved several clean‑energy actions, including solar projects under the state’s Competitive Solar Incentive (CSI) Program.

Sherrill was clearly pleased with the Board’s moves. “The three NJBPU actions — awarding 355 MW (MegaWatts) of battery storage and launching the next 645 MW solicitation, advancing competitive solar, and approving the largest community solar expansion in state history — represent the most consequential implementation of the Governor’s directives to date,” the governor said in a statement yesterday.

Sherrill took her vision on the road last  month by visiting with the owner of Advanced Solar Products in Flemington in Central Jersey, to discuss challenges he’s faced with securing permits.

At the Feb. 18 Flemington event, Sherrill outlined some initiatives to cut red tape. In her first month she directed all state agencies to complete a comprehensive catalogue of permits and approvals to identify outdated and duplicative permitting requirements. The catalogue is due by April 20, 2026 to her office.

In addition, the Sherrill Administration is currently developing a real-time permitting dashboard at the New Jersey Innovation Authority to allow applicants to track progress, increase transparency, and help identify bottlenecks.

The governor said she plans a statewide roll-out of these proposals over the coming months, visiting all 21 counties, including those in the southern region.

Christina Renna, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey (CCNJ) praised Sherrill’s partnership approach between government and business.

“Governor Sherrill’s commitment to cutting permitting delays is exactly the kind of practical, pro-business reform southern New Jersey needs, and the energy sector would be one of many direct beneficiaries,” Renna said in an email to The Sun Papers. “We’d encourage the administration to ensure that same openness extends to all energy sources.
“Energy diversity isn’t a compromise – it’s sound economic policy, and South Jersey’s businesses and workers are best served by a grid and a regulatory environment that keeps all options on the table,” added Renna.

Down in Deptford

Meanwhile back in Gloucester County, Herskowitz said Deptford Landfill Solar is fully aligned with Sherrill’s vision.

When fully operational, the 15 MegaWatt solar facility could generate enough electricity annually to power approximately 3,000 New Jersey homes, said Herskowitz.
It will be built on approximately 64-acre parcel of a soon-to-be-closed landfill. With the solar array covering about 45–50 acres of it. That’s roughly the size of 35 to 40 football fields and will include approximately 35,000–40,000 solar panels mounted on low steel racks.

“Our objective has also been to remediate and repurpose a brownfield site and to deliver cost-effective, environmentally responsible energy,” Herskowitz said. “We view these goals as aligned rather than competing interests. However, for projects like ours in Deptford Township, timing and execution are now critical.”

The Deptford project had been approved for the original 5 MegaWatts application, but that alone was not sufficient to make it economically viable, said Herskowitz.
So the businessman and his cousin applied for the additional 10 MegaWatts under the New Jersey CSI Program’s contaminated sites tranche.

“Without that additional award, the project [could] not move forward,” Herskowitz said. “The [bigger] scale is necessary to offset landfill engineering costs, fixed development expenses, and importantly, the substantial interconnection fees charged by PSE&G to connect the project to the grid.”

At this point, the most important item remaining is receiving the final interconnection cost estimate from PSE&G. The project will also need final building permits from Deptford Township before construction can begin.

While elated over Wednesday’s 10 MegaWatts award, Herskowitz said it shouldn’t take six years of hoops and obstacles for a developer to attain necessary approvals.

“Every month of delay compresses our development window and increases exposure to shifting federal economics,” Herskowitz said. “If the State’s objective is to increase supply and strengthen reliability, prompt CSI awards and meaningful interconnection reform are essential.

“We respectfully ask for the Governor’s assistance in ensuring that agencies move with the urgency her policy vision reflects,” Herskowitz said: “With coordinated executive leadership, timely CSI awards, and rationalized interconnection costs, this shovel-ready project can move from paper to production and begin delivering real supply, reliability, and economic impact for the State.

“What is needed now is regulatory velocity to move forward.”