By Tim Sevener • Transportation Committee Member
Bridges wiped out, roads closed, rail lines shut down, gas stations shuttered or with long lines for those few trying to drive to work, major power outages affecting 2.6 million customers, odd-even gas rationing remaining in effect for two weeks: This was the wake of Superstorm Sandy of October 29, 2012.
To ensure critical New Jersey and regional mobility, Sens. Robert Menendez and Cory Booker obtained a $410 million federal grant to build an independent power grid to keep rail transit moving during major outages affecting major rail links. The independent transit grid would support the Northeastern Corridor from NY Penn Station to Jersey Avenue, Amtrak, the Morris & Essex Line from NY Penn Station to Maplewood Station, and the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail.
Sandia National Labs in 2014 recommended the proposed grid be powered by a 140 megawatt (MW) natural gas plant in Kearny that would operate around the clock, with surplus energy sold to the larger power grid. This plan called for a mixture of minimal renewable energy (photovoltaics), minimal battery storage, and a preponderance of gas-fired generation.
Transit and environmental advocates discovered this proposal in 2019 and promptly proposed an alternative: solar plus batteries, which would have far less environmental impact.
Our survey showed NJ Transit has enough acreage for over 100 MW of solar panels—based on technological advances—with even more space available above the “tunnels” into Newark Broad Street from Morris and Montclair as well as above I-280 around Orange Station.
Based on our data and advocacy in 2019, Gov. Phil Murphy directed NJ Transit to pivot toward including solar and renewables. It agreed these specifications would be written into the project’s request for proposals (RFP). RFPs provide guidance to vendors bidding to build proposed infrastructure.
Unfortunately, NJ Transit basically retained the original RFP predominantly based around a central gas-fired power plant, as opposed to multiple solar panel fields, and requested proposals from four finalists in the bid process. Revised bids were submitted to NJ Transit in May, but the agency has not shared any information on what those bids contain, especially regarding the percentage of renewable power envisioned for the project.
Requests to review the responses under the NJ Open Public Records Act were rejected by NJ Transit. A lawyer for NJ Transit contended that disclosing the bids would compromise proprietary information. According to the RFP, NJ Transit will pick the winning project by April 2024, with construction completed four years later.
Meanwhile, the case for solar-based rail has only become stronger: A newly installed 22 MW solar project is already providing up to 50% of energy needs for the 15-mile PATCO Speedline, with solar canopies on train parking lots supplemented by panels on Philadelphia-bound bridges. In addition, JFK International Airport has used solar to augment resilience for its AirTrain inter-terminal passenger line.
Commissioned by an environmental coalition represented by Empower NJ, Strategen Consulting in March 2023 completed a study that demonstrated how solar plus battery storage plus an on-demand gas plant would be cleaner, bringing environmental and health benefits, and generate $45 million in revenue from supplying clean electricity.
The proposed NJ Transit microgrid could be a critical first step toward powering NJ Transit rail with renewable energy, which could also be extended to renewables-based electrification of other transit service areas.
Electric trains, like electric cars, require less maintenance. They also provide more reliable and faster rail service.