PSE&G's Solar 4 All Program Honored for Innovation in Solar Design

NEWARK, N.J., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PSE&G has been selected as the winner of the 2009 SEPA Award for Solar Business Achievement in the category of "Innovation in Solar Program Design." The award, given for the utility's Solar 4 All program, was announced at the Solar Power International 2009 Conference yesterday in Anaheim, California. The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) is a non-profit resource for information about solar technologies, policies, and programs.

"PSE&G has shown that significant and strategic investments in solar energy can occur outside of the Sunbelt," said Julia Hamm, SEPA executive director. "The Solar 4 All program represents a measured yet innovative approach to deploying utility-owned photovoltaics in sizes ranging from micro-to macro- applications. To be sure, challenges in implementation remain, but their program design shows a new level of thought in the placement of large amounts of solar."

Earlier this year, the utility unveiled its innovative Solar 4 All program, which will nearly double the size of New Jersey's installed solar capacity. The company will own and operate 80 megawatts of solar by 2013 - enough energy to power about 12,000 homes. The 80 megawatts of solar capacity will eliminate 1.7 million tons of CO2 emissions, which is the equivalent of removing nearly 310,000 cars from the road for one year.

Nearly half of the solar generation will be derived from individual solar units installed on 200,000 PSE&G utility poles in New Jersey's six largest cities and roughly 300 rural and suburban communities. This installation is the largest pole-attached grid-connected solar installation in the world. The remaining solar generation, also grid-connected, will come from solar farms and building-mounted units on property owned by PSE&G and on property owned by third parties. The energy will be sold into the PJM wholesale markets, augmenting the power supply during summer peak periods.

"New Jersey now has more than 100 megawatts of solar capacity, more than any state other than California," said Ralph LaRossa, president and COO of PSE&G. "Solar 4 All will expand that by another 80 megawatts and is the successful result of our work with New Jersey regulators and the solar community to develop a program that brings the benefits of solar to all of our customers."

"We expect New Jersey to become a hot market for solar developers and installers, which means that the promise of creating green jobs becomes a reality," LaRossa said. "That's especially important in these tough economic times. We are pleased that the solar industry has recognized our programs and our efforts to expand the market."

Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) is New Jersey's oldest and largest regulated gas and electric delivery utility, serving nearly three-quarters of the state's population. PSE&G is the winner of the ReliabilityOne Award for superior electric system reliability. PSE&G is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG) (NYSE: PEG), a diversified energy company (www.pseg.com).

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SOURCE Public Service Electric & Gas Company (PSE&G)