NEWS

New Jersey Newsroom: S. Plainfield firm basking in glow of solar energy demand
August 28, 2009


Praising the company for its ingenuity and innovation, Gov. Jon Corzine Friday toured Petra Solar, a South Plainfield company that produces SunWave, which is described as a pole-mounted, grid-connected photovoltaic generation system.

"Petra Solar's expansion plans and job creation epitomize my vision for our future," Corzine said as he toured the company. "This is a company creating jobs in New Jersey by manufacturing products that I'm confident will be sold all over the world to generate renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

Petra Solar was recently awarded a contract by Public Service Electric &Gas for 200,000 SunWave units, which will be mounted on utility and street light poles to increase the utility's solar generation ability. The contract is expected to result in over 100 new jobs at Petra Solar over the coming year and, with financial assistance from the state, the company is expanding its facilities to meet the growing demand for its product.

"This program is part of our Solar 4 All initiative recently approved by the Board of Public Utilities," said Ralph LaRossa, PSE&G president. "It will bring the benefits of solar energy to every community we serve while also creating much-needed green jobs in manufacturing and installation.''

Earlier this year, Petra Solar received the first grant under the state's Clean Energy Manufacturing Fund, a new initiative funded by the Board of Public Utilities and administered through the state Economic Development Authority. The company received a total of $3.3 million through the fund to support the purchase of equipment and machinery, and fund planning and design. Petra Star expects its growth will result in a total public and private investment of more than $7.6 million and the creation of more than 100 new jobs over the next two years.

The U.S. Department of Energy also recently announced that Petra would receive a grant of up to $2.9 million to work on solar grid integration projects with the University of Central Florida and fifteen electric utilities with service in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, Florida and Texas.

"Petra's growth, and the growth of companies like Petra, is what will drive our economic recovery here in New Jersey and help the world address the challenge of global warming," Corzine said.  "These are the types of businesses I'm proud to support.  They will help us build a sustainable economy and put our people back to work."

– TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM