These $1000 a piece solar panels are really made in China but assembled here in New Jersey. This is Federal Money being used. PSE&G started by putting these panels up in poorer towns in South Jersey -- areas like Burlington NJ -- the company is based in the somewhat wealthier town of Plainfield in Central Jersey and started there -- Plainsfield homeowners were shocked -- the Plainsfield Historical organizations are already up in arms...(click link below)

http://plaintalker.blogspot.com/2009/ ... t-all-want-solar4all.html

PSE&G and Petra say they get to avoid annoying NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) issues since they have power line pole easements already in place -- you can look at the pdf file on their website stating this.

http://www.petrasolar.com/

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Here is the newest NJN News video:



Governor Christie loves PETRA Solar:



Here is some older news:



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The man in charge at PSE&G

Arthur S. Guida
80 Park Plaza
Mail Code: T10
Newark, NJ 07102
Tel: 973-430-7135
Fax: 973-622-4261

If this will reduce energy costs or improve the local air quality I support this fully. The fact that it provides jobs here in NJ is the icing on the cake.

It is really a boondoggle with Federal and State tax money -- it delivers very little energy -- just see the first video's estimates after all panels are completed. Your electric bill will actually rise even by PSE&G's own estimates -- you are not getting anything cheaper this way.

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These things are better than building a new coal plant in the state.

Sadly they cannot come near taking the place of coal power plants -- keep in mind that suburban tract houses have no above ground wires or poles -- so this PSE&G move is only something that older urban areas will have to burden -- realize that these are our Historic gems and areas that we are talking about!

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The NJN video explains that the full solar grid planned would account for just under 1% of NJ electricity consumption. Will that alone negate the need for new electricity generation? No, of course not. But it will delay the need for new power plants and offset strain on the power grid during peak periods. And delaying the need for a new fossil fuel powered generation plant will allow time to construct electric sources like off shore wind farms, which in fact would prevent the construction of a coal plant.

SHouldn't they be on the roof? We have such big old trees that I doubt they would catch any rays except up there.

Go look at the poor town of Burlington NJ -- PSE&G already placed these eyesores in front of many beautiful well maintained historic colonial buildings -- what harm would it be to avoid placing these in front of Historic properties? The loss of electric for skipping areas would be minor at best.

As far as your mature trees - have you ever seen PSE&G prune trees? They have the longstanding easements in place -- they can prune away! Once the panels are in place - they will justify even taking more branches!

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I didn't ask the harm in putting them in front of houses in JC. I asked about the utility. I can't grow anything but shade flowers in front of my house. There's simply no sun to catch.

If you are in the shade because of buildings, then likely PSE&G won't place panels there -- but your tress will be pruned severely -- maybe not right then but later -- just go and look at Burlington, NJ -- you will see your future!

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I don't need to go anywhere to know that PSE&G butchers trees on a regular basis. I can look outside my window.

You the rate payers are paying for this program. Did you notice that your electrical rates went from about 0.12 per kWh to well over $0.17? Well, that was done to pay for these panels.

Solar makes no sense financially. It can't pay for itself. Without subsidies, the solar industry dies overnight.

Solar is not as 'clean' as you think. Refining silicon for the panels is an extremely energy intensive process that involves the creation of toxic waste. This waste must be heated well over 1,000F in order to treat it. China leads the world in producing the silicon because they don't bother treating the silicon tetrachloride. They just dump it. The stuff breaks down into hydrochloric acid and pretty much poisons the soil to the point grass won't even grow.

I wholeheartedly agree with you -- but the least PSE&G and PETRA Solar can do is not place these panels right in front of historic properties!

Clearly it is a boondoggle -- even PETRA's CEO says it is "critical" to get the funding from Federal and State tax incentives -- and he even admits that the solar panels are made in China -- or at least "elsewhere in the world"

Here he is on FOX News talking about teaming up with none other than BP!

http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/3951375/petra-solar-ceo-on-solar-ac

So you are against solar. You are against natural gas. How about you turn off your computer and stop using so much electricity.

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Well.. NJ does get a little over 50% of its power from nuclear. But don't plan on anymore nuke plants being built in NJ anytime soon.

Though Toshiba did come up with a pretty cool min nuclear reactor for powering small towns and large facilities. I think they are going to install one in Alaska soon.

Seems to me that the area covered with these panels is peanuts hence very little energy produced. The real value is on larger areas - roofs. From what I understand regarding private solar panels, one can either pay the full installation upfront , or get into a long term contract with an installer that covers the installation but comes in a form of lien attached to the house and tied to property taxes. This lien can be really bad when selling the house, Fanny/Freddy seems to have an issue with it.

If I decided to fork everything upfront, I also bet that the city would raise (again) my property taxes.

The solution to our planets energy problem has been in our lap for decades but greed will never allow it to happen.

The solution is Electromagnetic Energy, simply put, by using the positive and negative fields of magnets, It is posable to make a disc or wheel spin, and FAST! and it will continue spinning for the life of the magnets, which is about 3 or 4 HUNDRED YEARS! with no pollution and no emission --- 0 --- So imagine a box about 3\'x3\' square, that can go in your back yard, basement, or attic, and power your house for the rest of your life. This technology will also work in a car.

Oil, Coal, Solar, Wind power, Gas, you name it, its all BS. Nothing will work as good as an Electromagnetic Generator.

I have made a small version in my workshop with materials from Home Depot, and IT WORKS!
So why are we not using this technology now?

Below is a link to some of the many inventors who have built an (over unity) electromagnetic Generator and proven that it works

check it out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgQeHHmRW4w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGST6835uNM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_41btVawMc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8WZD11alb0&feature=related

Dude... put down the bong and take the tinfoil off your head. The 1st and 2nd law of thermodynamics are not going to be bypassed. There is no such thing as a free lunch or free energy.

No matter how fancy or how many screws are tightened or how much brass is polished, there is no such thing as a perpetual motion machine. Making matters even sillier is the concept of TAKING away energy while having the engine run in perpetuity.
If it had a name this gadget would be Perpetual Motion PLUS.

But that never stops yet another generation from passsing off an even glitzier fake, and those with no knowledge of physics fall for it every time.

There is nothing revolutionary about magnetic induction and conductors rotating through magnetic fields...EVERY motor and generator runs this way. BUT, as MDM, correctly points out, the Laws of Thermodynamics demand that there is ALWAYS more energy inputted into any device than can be taken out.

Thus, you put in 3 BTU's of coal energy to spin a magic wheel and it gives you about 1 BTU of electicity... IF you've designed your boiler and generator well.

they'll probably but these things along the highway and montgomery... not in paulus hook in front of your casa

You are wrong fauxboken -- that is not what PSE&G has done in South Jersey -- again check out Burlington's or Plainfield's historic residential areas! PSE&G is now headed up here and plan to place these large ugly panels on every electric pole!

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Well, believe it or not the technology is here, it works, and is being perfected by inventors all over the world.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDeXTXYFKAY&feature=related

Reminds me of this woman I know who had a temporarily lapse of critical analysis skills while dating a scientologist. She started being very interested in the H2O car, while ignoring the input of an electrolyser sitting on the back seat.

She is doing fine now, she has broken up with him. I hope he is the one left with the "improvement courses" bills.

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This is a scam recycled from the late 80's (in fact, given the VHS quality of the video and clothes worn.. it looks like that vid was made around then).

There is no magical free energy. Never has been, never will be.

as far as some considering these an eyesore goes... are these really any more of an eyesore than a transformer on a utility pole, or any variation of antenna that you see mounted on poles and buildings?

to gp the op:

1. I don't live in a historic property so I don't have a dog in this fight. I live in a shitty midblock rowhouse with alumninum siding on a half lot. an ugly solar panel would be an improvement

2. neither do historical societies or zoning boards have a dog in this fight because the panels, if any, will be on poles with lots of other junk.

3. we could get rid of that other junk by putting electricty undeground but that's expensive... good for property values though

4. nobody should ever go to Burlington, NJ so please stop saying we should do that

5. the comments on the Plainfield website you listed... i would not describe them as "up in arms"

6. maybe I missed it, but I have not seen any indication that these panels will be installed in jersey city in front of "historic properties"

but what do you mean by that? a brick rowhouse or "brownstone"? they might be old but not historic or protected. and even if protected from destruction, they're not potected from this are they?

these solar panels are likely a govt-subsidy waste in many ways but publci sector investments in infrastructure - shovel-ready jobs/ green tech/ high tech - that's a big and hopefully sustainable part of obama's recovery and reinvestment act

maybe u think it's misapplied here. rooftops and parkway streetlamps would be better

sorry. one last thing. i DO appreciate that you're spreading the news like a schmeer

but bringing green sector jobs to THE #1/#2 "donor state"... I have no problem with that despite the fact that these panels may have little immediate cost savings. spread the $ across the state and country over time... well it's the first time JC got #OOPS#-all from the us gov't since margaret hague hospital or 9/11 cop toys

Well, thank GOD for life on the waterfront. All electical lines are buried, hence no poles to hang these boondoggles from.

Although I guess they could use the light poles.

I like how the old colonial homes in suburban areas are being compared to much, much newer apartment buildings, condos and at most, brownstones. I would happily let PSEG use the roof of this place, but for the fact that it's a rental, so that's the landlord's decision. Plenty of sun up here on the roofs in downtown.

Hey thanks for posting this, these are awesome. Distributed solar generation with realtime two way data is a pretty epic step forward, I didn't know we were already taking it here in NJ. Honestly even if these are flat out money losing they will advance smartgrid implementation experience more than enough to make them worth it.

Kinda wish I got a BS in EE instead of IT so I could go join them.

Have you (pro-solar ppl) heard about the nj clean power choice program? PSEG still delivers your electric, no change there; but you can choose to have your share of power supplied by renewable energy sources.

http://www.njcleanenergy.com/renewabl ... cleanpower-choice-program